


Study Buddies

by commanderbensolo



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Alcohol, And by that I mean referencing Jake's very famous 'title of your sex tape' joke, Ben is a nerd in this okay don't kill me, Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV) References, Doctor Ben Solo, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, I'll update tags as I go, Long conversations while drunk, Movie Nights, Platonically cuddling, Slow Burn, Texting late at night, Well after he gets his degree, hux is creepy, platonic sharing a bed
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-08-13
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:27:59
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 50,464
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23989630
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/commanderbensolo/pseuds/commanderbensolo
Summary: Y/N and Ben Solo have been best friends since freshman year of college and not a lot has changed 8 years down the line. Apart from her feelings. Will the final year of medical school turn out to be just the same old finals and studying? Or will something else be tested in the upcoming semesters?
Relationships: Ben Solo/Reader, Finn/Rose Tico, Poe Dameron/Rey
Comments: 46
Kudos: 52





	1. First Day of Classes

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! For some reason, I'm a massive sucker for the idea of Ben being a doctor so I decided to make a fic out of it. Hope you all like it. Enjoy lovelies <3
> 
> Btw, I literally no nothing about MIT so I'm just sort of adding in bits. Sorry for all who go there and read this, highly doubt that will happen though. :)

"Poe hurry _your ass up!_ We're gonna be late!" You shout through the halls of residence, Ben chuckling behind you at the fierceness in your voice. He knew that you had a pet peeve for being late, that you absolutely hated it, and that you were restraining yourself as much as you could right now to go into where Poe currently was and drag his ass across naked. He could only have boxer shorts on and he's pretty sure you would do it at this point. "Y/N we have 20 minutes to get there! Calm down girl, seriously. You're killing my vibe." 

"Dameron, what exactly _is_ your vibe apart from not taking advice and making your best friend's _late to their first day of classes_." 

"We legit have 20 minutes, chill Dr L/N." You smile at the title, knowing at the end of the year it will yours, but regain your composure and continue shouting. "That ain't my name yet Dameron, now hurry the fuck up in the next five minutes or I swear to god I will leave you and go to class on my own with Ben." 

"Is that just a case of wanting Ben alone L/N?" 

"Oh fuck off Dameron, that joke is well old." You say with a laugh and turn around to see Ben trying to refrain from laughing too loud, biting down on his fist to keep in his chuckles. Finally, you hear a door open, and you turn back around to see Poe come out of his room dressed in a red and blue button-down, brown pants and the infamous brown leather jacket that he brought absolutely everywhere.

"Finally decided to grace us mere mortals with your presence m' lord?" No longer able to control himself at your last comment, Ben loses it lets out a loud laugh, the sound of it infectious as you and him both begin laughing endlessly as Poe just smiles at you two, bowing for mock dramatic effect as though he really were a lord. "Right, come on you two, we've got 15 minutes to get across campus and I want a good back-row seat, kay?" 

"Fine L/N."

"Sure Y/N, that's fine." You smile at Ben as your heart flutters a little.

You may or may not (spoiler: it's may) have a teeny, tiny crush on Ben. It originally started in freshman year of college, when you met in a pre-med course, and you had both become firm friends throughout all of college and had, surprisingly given the odds, been accepted to the same medical school, Harvard. So now, here you were in your last year, about to become a doctor with two of your best friends by your side.

However, you all wanted to be different types of doctors, and they were quite a few specializations apart. You wanted to become a cardiologist and had been since you were 11 years old. You had done the work experience and the research and had finally got to a place where you knew you could get what you wanted.

Ben, however, wanted to be an ER doctor, he was a more general type of guy and was more practical than you and so was more confident in that area.

Poe, on the other hand, was out of both of your fields and wanted to be a radiologist. He was more into physics than you and Ben compared to biology, and although he still loved bio as a topic, he liked to see how physics could affect it. Initially, he had wanted to be a pilot or an engineer, but had changed his major last minute before freshman year of college and had managed to get a 484 on the MCAT, just managing to get into Harvard like you and Ben. It had definitely been some of the best years of your life, and you were going to try and live up this last year as much as you could before summer came and reality set in.

"Oi, you three, hurry up!" Being broken out of your thoughts by an accented voice, and you realised that you were in the student lobby.

Standing before you was Finn, one of yours, Ben's and Poe's friends who had been an international transfer student from the UK. You had met him through Rey, one of your best friends who had gone the same college as you but instead of majoring in biology and medical sciences, she had majored in engineering, maths and physics, and went to MIT to study Aeronautics and Astronautics with her best friend Rose and Finn, Rose's boyfriend.

Rey was actually dating Poe, which you all hasn't expected, but you and Ben were both single as hell and you were the only 2 left in the group without significant other's. Not that you minded honestly, you and Ben were extremely close as best friends and it was probably better since when the other guys and gals were out on date nights, you two could just sit in the dorm watching Brooklyn 99 on Netflix over and over again whilst eating pizza and reviewing notes until you fell asleep on the couch. However, you did have a lot of explaining to do to Poe when he came home in the morning with Rey. "Hey Finn, don't you have a class?" 

"Nah, ours is at 11, which is kinda nice, not too early of a start. And it's just orientation, so no need to sweat about it, to be honest."

You exchanged a confused look with Ben at your side and looked back to Finn. "Orientation?" Ben said, looking as confused as you were. "Yeah, I thought that was only for the freshman courses?" You asked him, becoming even more surprised. "Nah, they added it in last year, some sort of scheme in order to get the older recurring students to meet the ones who are newly transferring into the course. Basically, it's a sit off lesson before all the real shit starts." 

"Ah, right. Anyway, unfortunately, we need to go, but a movie night and pizza soon?" Finn nods his head and says he'll tell Rose and Rey.

Looking around to see where Poe's gone, you notice him and Rey caught up in a very passionate embrace taking up most of the doorway entrance, with people stepping around them awkwardly. "Dameron." You shout at him, gaining no response and becomingly both annoyed and amused at the same time if it was possible. Ben tried next. "Poe!" Still no response. "Wow, his brain might've short-circuited ya know."

You say whilst laughing with Rose, who has come up next to you three to escape the awkwardness. Looking at Ben and giving each other a nod, you both cup your hands around your mouth and yell at the same time.

"DAMERON!"

He whips around in shock, nearly dropping Rey into the doorframe, causing you lot to start laughing uncontrollably. "Come on, Poe, you can have your girlfriend to yourself later, right now me and Ben need to get you to fucking class mate." He nods and turns around to give Rey another kiss, before coming over to your group and hugging Finn goodbye. Making your way out the door, yelling goodbyes behind you, you think about how great this year is going to be, but not before you lean up to Ben's ear and whisper

"First one there wins 5 bucks?" 

\---------------------

"I can't believe you won, how did you get that fast in heeled boots?" You just smile as he hands you a $5 bill and you sit back in your seat proudly, yawning as you do though. "You okay, mate?" Poe says next to you and you nod your head before yawning again.

"Yeah I'm fine, just didn't sleep well last night." Ben taps his pen that he's holding on his shoulder and you look at him quizzically. "What?" You ask him, confused as to what he's implying. "The professor isn't going to be here for another 5-10 minutes, just lay your head on my shoulder for a couple of minutes and give your brain a rest." You do as he says, pushing his shoulder back into the cushioned bench behind you as you lean your head over it, trying to get comfortable. Eventually, you feel warm hands rest of your waist and pull you further into his side, and you smile as your eyes stay closed. 

Soon enough you feel a nudge and you open your eyes, resuming a more suitable position for class as you pull out your notebook, pencil case and textbook from your backpack. You look at Ben and smile slightly, feeling your heart do the tappy-dance thing again when he returns the gesture. _Damnit Y/N_ you scolded yourself as you looked towards the front where your teacher was stood.

 _N_ _ow is not the time to fall in love with your best friend. You have a degree to complete here, stay focused!_ Clicking your pen at the ready, the professor begins her speech. "Hello all, and welcome to my class. I am Professor Maz Kanata, but you can just call me Maz."

You smile as the tension in the room breaks, happy to have a teacher who isn't strait-laced and uptight. "In this class, you will earn a degree that you will find most rewarding. However, before we begin the course this year, we will be having an orientation day of sorts in order to get you all familiar with one another seeing as we have some new students this year. I will also be starting a new curriculum project that has worked many times before; study buddies."

A ripple of murmurs break out throughout the room, and Maz waits patiently for them to stop before she begins speaking again. "Unfortunately you will not be able to choose your pairs for I have chosen them for you, but I have paired you with people who I think you will work well with judged on the data within your files and on previous assignments and tests. I will not start listing who will be with whom." Maz started listing off names whilst Poe turned to you and Ben. "That kinda sucks doesn't it?" 

"I'm not so sure it does. It might be good to meet some new people, get some connections you know?" You whisper quietly whilst turning to Ben. "Ben, what do you think of all this?" He goes to answer but as soon as he opens his mouth Poe's name is called. 

"Poe Dameron and Kaydel Ko Connix!" 

"See ya later guys. Meet you back at the dorm." He walks off to meet a blonde girl sitting in the front row, shaking hands with her and smiling at her, sitting down beside her. "Well, I wonder who we're gonna be paired up with?" You say with a laugh as you sit back against Ben's arm, enjoying the warmth from his body probably more than you should have done as a friend. "Well, I hope I get someone cool and someone who can keep up with me, you know what I'm like." You laugh and reply in a light tone "I know you're a fucking workaholic and that so far only me and Poe have managed to keep up with you without crying within 2 weeks of the semester starting." 

"That was one time and that was because I pointed out one of her notes was wrong." 

"Still, it's true. You're a workaholic." He sits back against the cushioned seat, sighing in mock defeat. "I plead guilty your honour. To all charges." You shove him in the arm at that comment, making him laugh loudly. "Shut up you ass, we're in medical school, not law school, or did you apply to the wrong one by accident?" 

"Nah I got the right one." Just as your about to reply you hear your name being called, and the name that comes after it nearly makes you drop out of your chair in shock. 

"Y/N L/N and Ben Solo!" You look at Ben with wide eyes and say only one thing. "Well, guess that means we don't have to change our shitty sleeping pattern of all-nighters'. 

\---------------------

"That was the easiest class we've ever had." 

"That's probably just because we didn't do any work Poe, we just talked the entire time." You pointed out as you walked back across campus to the dorms. You had decided that to make up for the lost lesson today that you were going to study with your respective partners. Poe had already texted Rey about his and she had been on board with it, saying it was completely fine if he needed it for the course, and you and Ben were just gonna stay at home, order a shit ton of fries and pizza and coca-cola and have a study fest in your pyjamas. Which sounded a whole lot better than studying uncomfortably in some cafe on campus. "Hey Poe, me and Y/N are gonna head back to the dorm, what time are you thinking of coming back from your study session?" 

"Probably around 6, it's 11 now" (the class had been 2 hours long, so you and Ben basically just procrastinated the whole time talking about whether or not Black Widow should have dyed her hair blonde) "and I'm gonna meet up with Rey afterwards and go out for something to eat. Have fun though." You nodded at him and smiled as he took off towards the campus parking lot. "Sooooo..." you said, suddenly feeling awkward for a second. "Sooooo..." Ben mirrored and immediately the tension was gone when you hit him in the side with your elbow. "Have we got soda in the dorm?" 

"Yeah, I stocked up. We ordering pizza and fries and having a studyfest?" 

"Oh my fucking god Ben Solo, I swear you can read minds." You say with a delighted groan as he starts laughing at how dramatic you are. By the time you've got back to the dorms, you're discussing what hospitals you want to intern at in the next year and what hospitals you wanna work at after you graduate.

\-----------------------

"Ben hurry up, I've got Brooklyn 99 on!" You call out to him as he comes through to the living area with the bottles of soda and two glasses. The pizza was sitting on the coffee table, ready to be eaten and was surrounding by extra-cheesy fries. "Alright, alright, I'm coming." 

"Alright, alright, I'm coming, title of your sex tape." As he just fixes you with a look that makes him look even more adorable than you, full lips settling into a pout. "I find it highly unfair how you sneak references into everyday conversation, how do you even think that fast?" You shrug, never giving it much thought. "My mom did always say I was quick-witted. Maybe that's just me." He laughs softly as he cracks open a bottle of Coca-Cola and pours a fair amount into both of your glasses before setting it down on the floor. Your books, notebooks, laptops and pens were sitting in piles on the floor, reading to be used for the upcoming semester. "How about, we eat first, watch a fuckload of Brooklyn 99, and then get started on notes?" 

"Sounds good to me." He replied as you held up your glass. "Clink clink bitch." You both said as you linked your glasses together and pressed play, settling into the familiar routine that had become so normal to you both for so many years. You wondered if this is what a relationship with him would be like, just sitting together on the couch, talking, eating drinking together while studying, having a good time and enjoying each other's company. 

_Never gonna happen, girl, stayed focused on what you have, not on what you want_ you chided yourself as you slide further down the couch under the fuzzy blanket that covered the both of you. 

\-----------------------

"Ben, can you pour me another glass while I just finish writing out this chapter?" The time was 1 am and Poe had texted saying he would stay at Rey's dorm for the night and that he would be back in time for the 10 am lecture you had the next morning. You had texted back saying that was fine and if he needed picking up the next morning then you would just do that since it was easier. You and Ben had finished the pizza and fries hours ago, quickly moving onto candy, chocolate and ice cream whilst reviewing the chapters of your textbook before the lecture and making notes.

"Yeah sure. 7UP or Coca-Cola?" He replied, taking your glass to the kitchen. "Coca-Cola please, it keeps me awake more." You shouted through, going back to reading over the textbook and making notes on flashcards and post its. "Here you go, we gotta go bed soon ya know, we have a 10 am lecture."

You yawned right on cue, and he just chuckled softly as he also yawned as well. It was clear you two were exhausted. "You wanna go sleep here and then just get ready in the morning? We're already comfy." He nodded and placed all the books and notes on the coffee table next to the couch.

"Do you wanna just stand up for a minute while I rearrange the pillows?" You do as he asks, watching how his muscles ripple and flex under his plain grey t-shirt. 

_Snap out of it dear fucking god_ you scold yourself again as he stands up and gestures to the couch. "Do you want me to go to sleep in my room if you wanna sleep here?" 

"Nah you're good, just get yourself comfy while I go take my makeup off and brush my teeth."

"Oh yeah, am I alright to use the bathroom first?" 

You nod, picking up your phone from where it lay on the couch and squinting at the brightness. "Yeah sure go ahead." As he walks off to the bathroom, you notice that you've got a couple of messages from Rey. 

**Rey (11:26 pm): Hey girl, I know you're probably studying but me and Poe are about to go to sleep and I just wanted to talk to you. Poe mentioned that you and Ben were study buddies, and while that's great and all, I know. I know how you feel about him. I can see it in the way you look at him, how you bite your lip and tuck your hair behind your ears and stumble on your words when he's around. I don't think anyone else has noticed, and from what I can tell poor Ben is oblivious, so I just wanted to say be careful and don't allow yourself to get hurt, you're too good for that. Night, see you tomorrow probably lol :)**

You frown at the message, unsure of what it means. You feel worried about how she can possibly know, you thought you were being low-key but clearly not, but that wasn't your biggest priority now. Looking back and seeing the bathroom door still shut, you type out a message. 

**Y/N (1:18 am): Hiya, can't believe you went to bed early lol you're usually up much later than that but oh well. Are we alright to meet up after classes one day this week and talk about... that? I don't really feel like talking about it over text if you get what I mean. Don't worry I'll be careful, I always am lol. Night, see you tomorrow :)**

You shut off your phone with a sigh as you hear Ben coming out of the bathroom. He crosses over into the living and sits down next to you, tapping your shoulder. "Hey, you okay?" You blink and smile at him sleepily, feeling exhausted all of a sudden.

"Yeah, I'm fine, I'm just gonna go get ready for bed. See you in a minute bro." He waves in acknowledgement as you go into the bathroom, sighing as you take your face care products out of the cabinet above the sink. As you go about your routine, you think about how Rey could have known.

Had you been too obvious?

Did a load of other people know too?

Shit, what if Ben knew and it was going to make everything awkward?

Shaking yourself out of your negative spiral, you washed your face and brushed your teeth, wiping your mouth and face with a towel as you flipped the switch off and walked out the bathroom. Noticing Ben curled up on the couch, you smiled. He looked so adorable when he was sleepy, to be honest.

Lifting the blanket with a whispered 'hey' you slid in next to him as he pulled the throw over you guys again. You wondered how many friends did this and stayed just friends. You wondered if you were crossing invisible boundary lines.

"Stop thinking, it's time to go to sleep." He murmured into your hair. "Yes, Dr Solo." You murmured back with a chuckle, feeling him reciprocate the gesture as you felt it vibrate through his chest. You snuggled backwards into his chest as his arm fell over you and his breathing deepened as he fell asleep, and before you closed your eyes another thought stuck out in your brain.

You were only on the first day of classes. 


	2. You're A Gem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm like so sloppy with updating I just have like a load of stuff to do which is keeping from writing, unfortunately. Anyway, here's the next chapter, hope you all like it and thank you for the kudos and the reads :)

You woke up to a shrill ringing noise reverberating off the walls of the living room. "What the actual fuck is that?" You mutter to yourself as you try and locate the ear-piercing noise before finally noticing where the offending device was. It was your alarm on your phone, and it was so loud because it had been placed on the coffee table right next to the couch last night. Sitting up, you fell back down again when you realised there was another person behind you on the couch. Panicking, you turned around only to relax as you realised it was Ben and not some creep that had made their way into your dorm in the middle of the night.

"Ben," you whisper quietly before nudging him in the shoulder a couple of times to make him wake up. "Hnnn- what?" He said with a groan as he opened his eyes slowly, smiling when he saw you. "Hello." He said whilst falling back into his original position laying down on the couch with you laughing. "No Ben, we need to get up." You said while still laughing, the words coming out breathy. "Why, what time is it? Our lecture is at 10." He said whilst finally sitting up beside you and resting his head on your shoulder, making a shiver go down your spine at the close contact. 

You grabbed your phone from the coffee table and pressed the STOP button for your alarm, the lock-screen lighting up and showing the numbers 8:32 AM and a couple of notifications from social media and messages from friends, the most recent one being a text back from Rey. Trying to turn your head so you could stretch it and stand up, you realised you couldn't as Ben's head still rested on your shoulder.

"Ben, I need to get up you know." You murmured to him as you scrolled through Tumblr aimlessly. He hummed a wordless response, and you bit back an affectionate laugh. "I swear Solo you always get so affectionate in the mornings and I will never know why." You said, arms coming up to remove his head from laying in the crook of your neck. He mumbled something into your neck that you couldn't hear, and so you twisted your head so you could see his face. "What's up?" You said softly, laying back down on the couch so that he was sat up next to you and you could see his face clearly. 

"Nothing, I'm fine. Just worried about this year you know?" You bit your lip at that. Ben had always been a worrier, Leia and Han (his parents) hadn't been around as much as they should have been when he was younger which had lead to a desperate seek out of approval from anyone who would give it to him.

Whether it was academics, work, even relationships, he was always seeking approval from another person or his partner. You had told him years ago that that kind of attitude was unhealthy and that he should be happy and gain approval for himself, but you knew it wasn't an easy habit to break out of, and so you had helped him find ways to cope with it. He was getting better and had made a very large amount of progress over the years that you had known him, but sometimes the anxiety that he had about not being good enough cropped up from time to time, and it wasn't a pretty sight.

"Ben, talk to me, please." You said softly whilst sitting up and bringing him into a hug, his head resting yet again in the crook of your neck.

You held him tightly for what seemed like half an hour (though in reality, it was probably only 10 minutes) until he drew back from you to wipe his eyes. You could see unshed tears on his waterline and worried for a second that he was going to lose it because you hated to see your best friend in pain, but he just wiped his eyes and smiled at you. "Ben-"

"It's fine, I'll talk about it after class okay?" You nod your head at him, not wanting to push him, and bring him in for another quick hug before standing up, grabbing your phone and moving to the bathroom. "Hey, Y/N?" Ben called out after you as you went to brush your teeth. "Yeah?" You said as you stuck your head out of the bathroom door with your phone still in one hand, about to unlock it and message Rey back.

"Don't we have to pick up Poe?" He asked you as he went to his bedroom, presumably to get dressed into clothes socially acceptable for a lecture (one person in freshman year had shown up in pyjamas by accident, you didn't know how, and had been kicked out of the class for a week and sent all materials by email) and you remembered that yes, you did indeed have to pick up Poe, which was a massive pain in the ass. "Yeah we do, but we have a lecture at 10, so are we going to make it in time?" 

"Well, depends, if we get breakfast out we can make it in time most likely." He shouted back through to you, coming out of his bedroom in black jeans, a black henley and a black denim jacket. _'Well then'_ you say to yourself, trying to pick your jaw up off of the floor as you retreat back into the bathroom before shouting

"Do I have time for a shower?" to Ben, who was now currently residing in the living room. "Yeah, it's only 8:45, just don't be in there too long because I don't want to leave after 9:30." Yelling back an 'okay' to him, you close the bathroom door and turn on the shower. You were about to strip down and step in before you realised that you hadn't brought a change of clothes into the bathroom with you, and you _really_ didn't want Ben to catch you in just a towel. Grabbing your phone from the counter, you shot him a quick message. 

**Y/N (8:48 am): Can you grab a pair of black leggings and a black t-shirt from my closet please?**

Almost immediately, you received a response from him. 

**Ben (8:49 am): Sure, you need anything else?**

**Y/N (8:49 am): No, I should be good, but thanks :)**

Hearing a knock on the door, you see the door open wide enough to just fit your clothes through. "Ben, it's fine, I'm still dressed." You say while laughing, and the door opens fully to reveal Ben breathing a sigh of relief. "Thank god, I didn't want to open it and accidentally find you naked or in just a towel." 

"Nah you're good, thanks for bringing them in, did you text Poe?" You asked him whilst taking the clothes from his hands and placing them on the counter. "Yeah, he said that he doesn't mind getting breakfast out either and that we should probably just go to the McDonald's near MIT because it's convenient for us." You nodded at the suggestion, turning the shower on and setting it to a nice temperature before turning back to Ben. "Yeah I agree, I'll text Rey and see what she's doing. We all need to transfer schedules again like we did last year, everything worked so efficiently then." 

"Yeah I agree, I'll create a group chat with us all in, that should work better than just individual texting for making plans and stuff." Ben pulls out his phone from his jeans backpacker while you press the Spotify app to get your playlist ready. You have to shower with music, otherwise where's the fun in showering? "Alright, done, I'll text it now and hopefully they should get back to us." You look at him with raised eyebrows, knowing full well that if Rey was with Poe and if Finn was with Rose there was no way you'd be getting a speedy reply from either of the couples. "What?" He said, looking confused. "You know full well that if any of them are with their 'other half' then we will not be getting a speedy reply." 

"True, true, but we got a pretty quick reply from Poe so I think Rey and maybe Rose must have gone to pick up breakfast or something, or maybe gone to a lecture." 

"Yeah, I suppose you're right. Anyway, it's nearly 9 and I need to shower and get ready so go on, get out of here." You laugh while pushing him by the chest into the hallway. "If you want, you can place an order at McDonald's and I'll transfer the money to you for my order." 

"Yeah, okay I can do that." 

"You know what I want for my order?"

"Obviously, what sort of best would I be if I didn't?" He says with a playful eye-roll and a scoff as he walks towards the couch, placing orders for yourself and him and most likely Poe as well. Before stepping in the shower, you tap on the Messages app and tap on Rey's and your conversation, reading her latest message. 

**Rey (8:12 am): Hey girl, sorry I fell asleep lol and didn't get your message until now. No, I don't think anyone else knows about your tiny (read here: major) crush on Solo, so don't worry about it. The guy's so oblivious that he probably wouldn't figure it out unless you came onto him reaalll strong, and I know you're not the type of girl to do that (because you're respectful of people's boundaries) so don't worry about it.**

**Rey (8:14 am): Anyway, me and Rose are going to pick up breakfast and then are going to a mechanical engineering lecture with Finn at 9, but Poe is still in our apartment so just let yourselves up if you're picking him up. I've reminded him he has a lecture at 10 so he knows he has one so you should be all good, he's still got his books and stuff at our apartment so just remind him to bring them. See ya later girl!**

You smile as you read throughout the messages that Rey sent you, even though a heavy sense of dread is weighing deep in your stomach. Had you been too obvious about your feelings? Did other people in the group know about how you felt about Ben? And if they did, how long would it be before Ben himself found out? The guy may be oblivious to a lot of things, but he was extremely intelligent (you were both in a doctorate course for fuck's sake of course he is) so it would only be a matter of time before he tried to piece certain things together. Shaking your head to shake yourself out of your negative spiral, you quickly type back a message to Rey. 

**Y/N (9:02 am): Hey, sorry I was just waking up and talking to Ben so I haven't had a chance to read your message until now. Yes fine I admit I may have a minor crush on Solo but pleaseeee don't tell anyone because I really need to get through this year with no drama. I'm gonna be hanging out with him even more than usual because our professor assigned us as 'study buddies' so I don't want it to become awkward. Me and Ben are going to pick up Poe, Ben's put in a breakfast order for us so we're gonna pick him up, grab breakfast and then head to our lecture.**

**Y/N (9:03 am): Also, we're all gonna exchange our schedules later so that we can actually all do stuff together because right now no one knows when any of each other's classes or lectures are, Ben's set up a group chat so I'll send mine over after class. Maybe we can meet up today if you guys don't have a mega heavy course load yet? Lol, anyway, I'm just about to shower so me and Ben will probs be at your apartment around 9:30, we'll see you guys later hopefully!**

Tapping back into Spotify, you opened up your main playlist and pressed shuffle. 'Love Me Harder' started to play through your speakers, and content with the choice of the song you turned up the volume, stripped down and stepped into the shower.

As Ariana started singing, you hummed along to the lyrics and melody while washing your hair, lulling yourself into a state of contentment. As the chorus started to play, you sang along quietly as you conditioned your hair and hosed it down. "Cause if you want to keep me, you gotta, gotta, gotta, gotta, got to love me harder, gotta love me harder." You sang quietly, thinking about what it would be like if you had a boyfriend, what life would be like. Would it be different to how it was now? Would it be the same? Would you still hang out with Ben and Poe and Finn and Rey and Rose?

Or would you hang out with your boyfriend more often? It was a difficult decision to gauge, especially because you hadn't been in a proper relationship since your senior year of college. Sure, you'd had the opportunity to have a few party hook-ups every now and then, but that sort of thing just didn't appeal to you.

You wanted a real relationship, someone who you could just go up to and kiss them hello or hug them goodbye, someone you could go on dates with and spend time with them in a romantic way, someone who you had a lot in common with. _'Someone just like Ben basically'_ you thought to yourself bitterly as another song, this time 'My First Kiss', came on with a more upbeat tone. 

You knew it was never going to happen, you didn't know why you kept dwelling on it. He was your best friend, wasn't that enough? Why did you need that little bit extra, you should have been content with what you had with him as a friend.

Someone knocking on the door brought you out of your thoughts, and you opened the shower door just enough so you could be heard. "Yeah?" You said loudly. "Hey, we gotta go in 15, you nearly done?" It was Ben. ' _Well obviously, who else would be in your apartment?'_ you scolded yourself. "Yeah, I'm done now, be out in 5."

"Okay." Was all the came through the door, and the last parts of the song played as your switched off the shower and grabbed your towel, drying your body and hair off before grabbing your clothes. Deciding to just put your bra and panties on in your room, you quickly pulled on your leggings and t-shirt and opened the door, grabbing your phone and speed-walking to your room to get fully dressed. Once the door to your room was closed, you pulled out a black bra and matching panties, throwing them on before pulling your leggings and t-shirt back on and grabbing a pair of black trainer socks from your drawer in your closet.

You brushed your hair out and threw it up into a top bun, deciding to just let it air-dry, and just decided to do a simple nude eyeshadow look and just use concealer, blusher, highlighter and lipstick whilst filling in your eyebrows and throwing on a bit of mascara. After that was done, you looked around for your black backpack, sure you'd placed it in here beforehand, before grabbing your phone, wallet and keys before making your way to the living room. 

"Hey, Ben have you seen my black backpack?" You say to him as you make your way to the couch where he's bent over sorting something out. He holds something up wordlessly, and you realise it's your backpack, packed full of your laptop and supplies and ready to go. "I swear you are an actual gem, Solo." You say to him whilst grabbing the bag and slinging it onto your back, wincing a little at the weight but thinking nothing of it. He stood up, having finished packing his backpack and also slinging it onto his back, and turned to you. "You read to go L/N?" 

"You bet Solo. You got your keys?" He holds them up after taking them out of his jacket pocket and you both make your way out of the apartment and towards the parking lot, taking care to lock your door behind you. 

\---------

"Do you want me to ring him or do you want to do the honours?" You say to him whilst looking at the time on Ben's radio clock. It showed the numbers 9:32, and you were contemplating just going into the apartment to grab Poe instead of ringing him.

"No need to, there he is," Ben says quietly as he points to where Poe is now walking across the parking lot to Ben's car. "Helloooo." He sang as he got into the backseat, and you laughed while turning around to face him as Ben put the car into gear. "What took you so fucking long?" He just shrugged and pulled out his earbuds and his phone, and Ben just chuckled as he saw Poe in the mirror. "Anyway, where are we going to get breakfast because I am starving." 

"We're going to McDonald's because it's the closest place we could find that wouldn't make us late for our lecture." Poe leaned into the intersection between the two front seats, headphones not plugged in yet. "Did you guys order for me?" He asked, looking between the two of you.

"Obviously Poe, I ordered your usual. I expect the money back pal." Ben said whilst chuckling as you saw the bright yellow arches of McDonald's famous sign come into view. 

\---------

"And that will be $12.57, please. Is there anything else you'd like with your order?" The woman at the Drive-Thru window said as she smiled at you all. Ben said no and thanked her with a smile, driving onto the next window and picking up the bags of food and drinks.

Driving into the parking lot, you all looked at the clock and breathed a sigh of relief when you saw it was only 9:38. You guys still had 20 minutes to get to class, you were fine. "Okay, so here is a bacon, egg and cheese biscuit with a hash brown and a chocolate chip frappe for a Mr Dameron."

Poe chimed out a 'thank you' from the backseat as he grabbed his food from Ben's hands and started immediately digging into it. "And for me, there is sausage and egg biscuit with a hash brown and a hot coffee.

"And for the lovely Miss L/N we have a sausage, egg and cheese mcgriddle with 2 hash browns and a coca-cola because she is the only person I know who will drink cold drinks in the morning." You laughed and said 'thank you' as you too took your food from his hands but didn't start eating it yet.

Luckily, you had looked up lecture policies before starting this year and for Maz Kanata's class (if it was an early one, before 12 pm) then you were allowed to eat food as long as it didn't distract the class. Ben put the car into gear and pulled out of the parking lot and onto the main road, beginning the drive to your lecture.

"Hey, Ben, can I have the aux?" You asked, pulling your phone out, noticing you had just received another message from Rey, which you would have to read later. It was too risky to read in the car with Poe and Ben, as it most likely concerned details about that particular set of feelings for a certain individual. "Yeah sure, it's in the glove compartment."

You murmur a 'thanks' and pull out the long black lead, plugging it into your phone and then to the car. Pulling up Spotify, you went onto yours, Ben's and Poe's shared playlist and pressed shuffle. 'Cuckoo' by Adam Lambert came on through the speakers, and you and Ben let out a cheer, the song bringing back old memories from your freshman and sophomore year of college. Memories of parties, late-night studying, evening classes together, it was all good memories with this song.

And now, you realised as Adam's voice signalled the start of the first verse, it was all about to come to an end. You had been through 8 years of college and school with these guys in the car with you, had been through highs and lows and everything in between. And now, it was all coming to an end. You were in your last year of medical school, about to gain a degree and go out into the world, and all the fun times with them would be over.

And that made you, as you were thinking about it, really sad. You couldn't stand the thought of losing contact with these guys, they had been through everything with you. "Hey, you alright?" Ben said to you, concerned, as he put a hand on your knee. You felt another shiver go down your spine at the contact, but you brush it off and look at him with a smile.

"Yeah, just remembering all the memories." You said to him, facing forward again as he did the same. "Well, save some of that brainpower for the 2-hour lecture we're about to go into." He said whilst laughing, and you made a sound halfway between a groan and a laugh as you realised, yes, it was indeed a 2-hour lecture.

"Did we get any more snacks?" You asked Ben, turning to face him again. "Check inside your bag and have a look." He said as he smirked in the mirror at Poe who was jamming out to the music of his own phone in the back and eating contentedly, happy with the world. You zipped open your bag and gave a gasp.

On top of all the books and stationery and in front of your laptop was bags of candy and chips, with 2 bottles of original Coca-Cola stuffed in next to them. "You, my good sir," You said to Ben as he pulled up in the parking lot, grabbing the food and noticing the clock said 9:45, "are an absolute fucking gem." You say with a smile while you poke Poe and motion that you're here, to which he replies with a nod as he gets out the car. 

"Oh, I know honey." He says with a dramatic flip of his hair as he begins to walk to the class with you and Poe behind him, and you laugh at his antics. God, you were glad to have him as a friend. And goddamnit, you would be glad if you would only ever have him as a friend. The fact that you were with him was all that mattered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The prices here are not accurate and I know vary across different countries and states so please do not take any prices as accurate. I just sort of calculated a rough average of everything.


	3. Clueless

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I know this isn't an AU that's very common as I've not seen a lot of it, but thank you all for reading and leaving kudos. If you guys want to share it on Tumblr please do just make sure to tag me in it, my Tumblr is  
> commanderbensolo

"Therefore, I want your 6-page papers on kidney and pancreas transplants by Friday at 7 pm. If you need any more information or resources then my office hours are online and can be found next to my office or you can reach me over email. Dismissed!" Maz's voice rang out into the room as chatter started up once again, most people complaining about how they only had _3 days_ to write a 6-page paper. You laugh at some of the complaints, thinking to yourself that maybe they shouldn't have chosen medical school if they couldn't handle the pressure.

"Hey, Y/N is it?" You hear an unfamiliar voice say behind you, and you pause packing things up in your bag to turn around to face them, noticing Ben and Poe had left. It was a tall guy with red hair, who was smiling widely at you. "Er yeah that's me, I'm sorry, have we met?"

"No, I don't believe we have." He sticks out a hand in front of you, and it takes you a couple of seconds to realise that he wants you to shake it. Hastily, you grip his hand firmly. 

"Sorry, my brain is like half-asleep right now, I think I'm coming down off a major sugar high." He laughs, though the sound is quite cold and forced, and you feel a sense of unease. "Sorry, I didn't get your name..."

"Armitage Hux, but my friends just call me Hux, and you can too." 

"Does that mean I'm your friend now?" You laugh a little as you turn around quickly to resume packing your bag. You notice Ben and Poe waiting at the bottom of the stairs, Poe on his phone and Ben just waiting there for you, and your heart flutters. "I'd certainly like you to be, and possibly a lot more Miss...?"

"Oh! Right, my name is Y/N L/N, but everyone just calls me Y/N. Apart from my friend up there." You point to Ben, and Armitage follows your hand to where his eyes land on Ben as well. His gaze narrows slightly, but the expression leaves his face as quickly as it came. "Oh, what does he call you?" 

You laugh nervously at his question, slinging your bag up onto your shoulder, happy that it was significantly lighter than before due to you tearing your way through bags of chips and candy and bottles of soda in class. Thank the Lord for Maz's rule about being able to eat in class before noon. 

"Erm, that's kinda... private. Something just between best friends you know? Anyway, I'll have to be going I have another class after this, goodbye Armitage." With that, you sprint down the stairs from your seat until you reach Ben and Poe. "Finally girl! What took you so damn long, you trying to chat up a fella over there?"

"Oh for fuck's sake Poe!" You chide as you all walk out of the classroom. "Just because I am talking to a man doesn't mean I am flirting. I talk to Ben every single day, am I flirting?"

"Wellllll..." 

"Seriously?" You say as you look at Poe next to you. You look at Ben next, and you can tell in the harsh lighting of the hallway that his cheeks are a little red from your comment, whether it was from embarrassment or something else you weren't sure though. "Speaking of flirting, are we going to have to sit through you and Rey flirting in front of us tonight or are you going over to her apartment again?" 

"Ben, do you suddenly want me out of the house my good friend?"

"No, I was just asking whether-" 

"Don't we all have a _6-page paper to write for Friday_ _?_ " You remind them as you walk out of the doors of the medical building and across campus to the parking lot where Ben's car was. "Besides, I want to do well on this assignment. So I'm gonna need to have my _study buddy,_ " You say to Ben with a soft smile, which he returns to you shyly, "At full potential Mr Dameron, so I suggest you call yours too." You say in a serious tone, though still smiling. 

"But I want to go out with Rey!" 

"And me and Y/N want to watch re-runs of Brooklyn 99 and Big Bang Theory all night but we take our education seriously so you have to as well," Ben interjects as you all reach his car. Poe gets in with a huff and pulls out his phone when his car door closes, most likely (and you were hoping) texting Kaydel about the paper and texting Rey that he couldn't come over for a good couple of days. 

"Ben?" 

"Yeah?" He muses whilst pulling out his phone as well next to you. 

"Are you okay with this?" 

His head snaps up from where he's looking on an app and looks at you, confused. "Why wouldn't I be okay with it? Are you not okay with it?" 

"No no I'm fine with it! I just didn't know whether you wanted something different because we do practically everything together because we're best friends and I didn't want you to get bored and-" 

He cuts you off with a finger to your lips, and your words stop abruptly, which is the opposite of what your pulse did. "Are you overthinking again sweetheart?" 

Your heart speeds up even more, and at this point, you think you're going to have a heart attack (or a myocardial infarction as the textbook had pointed out in freshman year of medical school). Ben calls you sweetheart all the time, it's a little thing that (you hope) only the two of you share, but due to the thoughts and feelings you've been having recently, this time when it's used it feel heavier, more laden with feelings that aren't there, couldn't possibly be there. 

You nod slowly, and Ben opens his arms and brings you into a bone-crushing hug, as though he was trying to expel all of the unnecessary worries out of you just by squeezing. 

"It'll all be fine, okay? You've got me." He murmurs into your hair before letting you go. You smile up at him, as you push him playfully out of the way you can open the door. He walks around and opens his and slides in, closing the door and turning on the ignition just as you slip into the car as well. 

"So?" You question into the air as you slide your seatbelt into the clasp on the chair and lean back and pulling out your phone. Poe looks up at you from his phone which dings multiple times. "Kaydel said she's fine to meet up this evening to start the outline for the paper, but that she can't stay out for long because she has a shift at work that starts at 5." 

You nod and take out your phone to connect it to the aux again (Ben knows by now not to stop you) and you look at the time. 12:15 pm. You could deal with that. You had a shift at the coffee shop that you worked at tomorrow at 9 until 12, and then a class at 5, but you imagined that if you planned it out correctly you'd have enough time to sleep and eat and write the paper like a normally functioning human being. 

"Okay, so how about you and Kaydel meet up at a coffee shop or something?" You say whilst tapping on Tumblr and scrolling aimlessly through your dashboard. "I've got an idea," Poe says from the back and you internally groan. Usually, Poe's ideas are not great and have ended a couple of times with some friends of yours nearly getting arrested. You look at Ben and give him a 'brace for impact' look before turning to Poe. 

"And what is your great idea, my friend?" You say with a hint of sarcasm. 

"Why don't me and Kaydel go out to a coffee shop and get started on the paper and you and Ben come with us?" You turn to Ben and he just shrugs, not seemingly bothered by it. 

"I mean, sure if Kaydel and Ben don't mind. Do you mind Ben?" 

"No I'm good with it, take it we're getting food there?" Poe nods and texts out a quick message on his phone before smiling at you both. "Shall we hit the road then? We can stop off at home and change before hitting up the cafe." He says before motioning to step on it and you laugh at his antics, stupid as though they may be sometimes they're also funny, never failing to make you smile. You press shuffle on your playlist again once the Spotify is opened up and "Heartbreak Girl" by 5SOS blares out through the speakers.

You smile as Calum starts to sing the first verse, and just close your eyes and listen to the lyrics. Although the lyrics didn't apply to you, you still felt the emotion coursing through them as they were sang perfectly, about wanting to be with someone who doesn't even know how you feel and just sees you as a friend. It hurt, and you knew that feeling way too well. As the song changed, you opened your eyes as some pop song by Katy Perry came on and you pulled into the parking lot of your shared apartment. 

"So, we'll get changed and ready and then meet up. By the way Poe, what time are we supposed to be meeting?" 

"I said 3 because I imagine that's alright with you guys?" 

"Yeah, that's fine." Both you and Ben nod as you get out the car. You pull out your phone and quickly send a text to Ben, noticing you had a text in the group chat from Rose and Rey. 

**Y/N (12:23 pm): You wanna go out to the library sometime before Friday to get this paper done? I saw some good books there that could really help us.**

You see Ben take his phone out of his pocket next to the car, and he just looks at you from across the car with an amused expression before typing back a reply. 

**Ben (12:24 pm): I am literally across the car from you Y/N.**

**Y/N (12:24 pm): Yeah I know but texting is easier than talking.**

Ben laughs out loud at that, and Poe looks across at you both with a confused look. "What are you laughing at Benny boy?" 

"First of all; _never_ call me that ever again and secondly just a cat meme on Twitter." 

**Y/N (12:26 pm): Nice save _Benny boy_**

**Ben (12:26 pm): Just because you are my best friend does not mean you get to have the right to call me that.**

**Y/N (12:27 pm): You don't like it? I think it's kinda cute lol**

Ben snorts at that before replying.

**Ben (12:28 pm): Well I don't so don't call me that again, ever, _please_**

**Ben (12:29 pm): Also, yes to the library question, how does tomorrow after class sound? It's open 24 hours so we're good**

**Y/N (12:30 pm): Yeah that sounds great, you can bring the snacks and I'll bring the soda and coffee**

**Ben (12:30 pm): Wonder what this Kaydel is gonna be like, and also yes to that.**

By now you are all inside your apartment and Poe has gone to his room whilst Ben has gone to the kitchen to get a snack before going out. You've plopped yourself down on the sofa, still texting Ben. 

**Y/N (12:31 pm): She must be pretty nice if Poe hasn't started bitching about her yet, so I'd say we're all good. You ever spoke to her?**

**Ben (12:32 pm): Yeah, couple times in class when we've debated over topics and that, but never a full-blown conversation. Seems nice though**

**Ben (12:33 pm): Come in here a minute**

Frowning at his request, you pull yourself up off the couch and walk to the kitchen where you find Ben preparing turkey and cheese sandwiches. "What's up?" You ask him, grabbing a glass from the cupboard and pouring yourself a glass of 7UP. 

"Nothing just got sick of texting you and wanted to talk to you for real." You chuckle and lean against the counter for a minute before going back out to your bag to get your textbook. Heading back into the kitchen with it, you place it on the counter as Ben offers you a sandwich. "Thanks." You say, muffled after taking a big bite of the sandwich before opening the textbook to the page you were on last night. Maz didn't like to use textbooks in class, preferred you all to take notes and then refer to the textbooks later, but you always took it to class with you just in case. 

"We'll need to get ready in a bit, but I was thinking we could watch a movie or something beforehand? If you wanted?" Ben asks as he turns around to face you, also eating a sandwich. There was one left, which you imagined was for Poe. "Yeah sure, that sounds fine, I'm practically ready anyway. You wanna pick?" 

"Nah, you can pick, just nothing that'll make me cry." 

"Ben Solo, you know for a fact that I will now deliberately pick a movie that will make you cry don't you?" He shakes his head and takes another bite out of his sandwich but you can see a ghost of a smile. It was nice, you decided, just standing with him in the kitchen. Just standing with him was nice, his presence calming to you, like a balm or a soother. 

"I'm joking don't worry, comedy?" 

"Yeah sure, you want to go set it up?" 

"Yep, how does the film 'Clueless' sound?" 

"Good God why do I let you pick the films?" 

You walk out of the kitchen with a laugh, textbook in hand. "Because I'm your best friend maybe?" 

"That you are." You hear him say as you reach the living room. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cliffhanger, again! I'm sorry, I know there's a shit tonne of build-up but ya know, gotta flesh out the plot and so on.  
> I actually adore the film Clueless, so I kinda had to add in since it's a favourite of mine.  
> Hope you all liked this chapter <3


	4. Coffee Shop

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates in two days? Good Lord I must actually be using my time productively.  
> Also, I'm debating on whether to make a Twitter for my writing because apparently that seems to be a thing that people do now? Comment if you think I should cos ya know, why not?  
> Also [come say hi and give me prompts and feedback on Tumblr!](https://commanderbensolo.tumblr.com/)  
> However, please mention if it is about the story :)

"Clueless is still one of the best films of all time, hands down Ben!" 

"I kinda have to agree because it's funny, but 9 Months is still also an amazing film. That film is funny as fuck and you know it."

"Fine, I agree." You laugh as you make your way off the couch and towards your room, the credits from the movie still rolling in the living room. The time was now 2:30 pm and you guys were ready, you just needed to grab a change of clothes and shoes before heading out again. You picked out a black Marvel t-shirt with the Marvel logo emblazoned in large font across the chest, black jeans and a leather jacket with a belt, as well as some ankle-high boots. 

Deciding that your makeup and hair didn't need touching up, you looked at the time again. 2:34 pm. You guys still had plenty of time to get to the coffee shop. Poe had said that you were going to a little one just outside of campus since the campus bar and cafe became really crowded in the afternoon and in the evening, and you guys preferred silence to a lot of noise. Hours upon hours of studying for tests and finals in med school would do that to you. 

Exiting out of your bedroom and shutting the door, you walk down the hallway to where Poe's bedroom was and knocked on his door. Instead of deciding to shout through to him like you usually do, you sent him a text. 

**Y/N (2:35 pm): C'mon dude, we're ready.**

**Poe (2:36 pm): Okay I'm coming now, it's only like 10 minutes off campus anyway.**

You put your phone in your pocket and walk to the living room, where Ben was just doing up his sneakers and had his bag sitting by the door. Grabbing your bag from next to the couch, you open it to check that everything is in there, and are pleasantly surprised _again_ when you find more snacks and sodas sitting inside amidst your many notebooks and laptop. 

"Benjamin Solo, what did I ever do to deserve you, my friend?" He looks up at you with a smile, and you feel yourself melt a little more. _Come on Y/N, get it together. He's just a very good best friend. A very good-looking best friend with really nice hair and who is really tall and muscular and-_

"Y/N? You ready to go?" Poe's voice brings you out of your thoughts and you shake your head quickly, and turn to him with a smile. "Yeah, why?" 

"You were just staring at that wall really intensely, that's all." 

"Yeah, no I'm fine don't worry, let's hit the road." 

As you grab your bag from the couch and grab your keys from the dish next to the door, and with a soft click, you all exit the apartment. 

\-------------

"So, Poe, what's Kaydel like?" 

Poe hums a little before replying to you, eyes locked on his phone _once again_. 

"She's actually dead nice, to be honest. I'm just glad I was paired with her instead of someone like that dick Hux. Speaking of him, why were you guys talking after class?" 

You roll your eyes as you look up from your phone and look at Ben, who has a ghost of a smile upon his face. "He came up to me actually, and I don't know why. Also, somehow he knew my name?" 

Poe looks up at you with a confused expression, and you just shrug, confused but thinking nothing of the encounter with the ginger. "I mean, he was alright, he didn't try anything, just said he wanted to be friends and something about being something more? I think he was implying relationship but I'm not interested in the slightest." 

Next to you, Ben's hand tightened on the steering wheel, and you shot him a concerned look. "Ben, everything okay?" 

"Yep, fine." He said easily, though his smile had gone and had been replaced with a brooding frown. Suddenly, everything clicked. "Ah, I know what it is." 

He turned to you with a look similar to one of a deer caught in headlights, and you had to restrain yourself from laughing. 

"You don't like Hux do you?" Ben visibly relaxes as you laugh a little, looking back at your phone and tapping on the Messages app to check the group chat, which had been named 'Los Amigos', which made you laugh quietly.

"No, I don't. Never met him, but from I've heard he's a right dick." Poe makes a humming noise of agreement whilst you read through what Rey and Rose sent to the group chat. It was their schedules (Finn had said he'd send his over later because he had work right after class) and it pleased you to know that they were relatively the same as each other. 

"So, Rey and Rose have sent over their schedules, however, there is a slight problem." You say with a frown whilst reading through them again. 

"What?" Poe said whilst leaning forward into the intersection between yours and Ben's seats, phone in hand and also on the group chat. 

"Rey and Rose have mainly morning class whilst we mainly have evening classes. We have a few morning classes here and there, but our schedule is all over the place compared to theirs. Plus, we have to do our shifts at the hospital and shadowing the doctors of our specialisation, so we're gonna have a lot less free time compared to them, which means less meeting up." 

"Oh yeah, I see what you mean," Poe says with a frown as you pull up at the coffee shop. "Jakku Coffee?" You say aloud as you get out of the car, grabbing your backpack and shouldering it before closing your door with a SLAM. "Y/N what have I said about slamming my doors?"

"Sorry, Ben." 

"Yes, Jakku Coffee, the shop where my lovely girlfriend works." You look at Poe with an accusatory look and point a finger at him. 

"I expect a high work ethic from you, my good sir. You have a 6-page paper to write mister so I want no flirting, got it?" Poe groans as you enter the coffee shop laughing, but his face lights up when he sees Rey serving a customer. "Hey guys, I'm gonna go get us some drinks and snacks, what do you guys want?" 

"Hot chocolate with marshmallows and a chocolate muffin, please."

"Cold brew and a chocolate muffin as well please," Ben says before tapping your arm and pointing to a table booth in the corner. "Wanna go sit over there?" 

"Yeah sure." You and Ben make your way over to the table and you sit down with a sigh, glad the weight of your bag was off your back. The lighting in the booth was soft and cosy, and it was so nice it could possibly even pass for romantic. _Okay Y/N you're thinking way too much into, think of a topic to speak about._ You scolded yourself as you wracked your brain with topics. 

This was weird. This was awkward. This was tense and you didn't know why. You guys have been in hundreds of situations like this together, but now it seemed too tense, the air too heavy, thoughts and atmosphere too loud between the two of you. 

"So, what's the deal with Hux?" You say, and mentally wince as the words come out of your mouth. _Really, Y/N, really? You couldn't have found a better topic to-_

"Never met him, but he seems like the pompous type. You know, someone who thinks their better than everyone else. And I hate people like that." 

"Ah, I get what you mean. I kinda got that vibe from him too." 

"I saw you pointing at me when you were uhh... talking to him. You weren't saying anything bad about me right?" You look at him with a smile and contemplate on whether to tease him or not, but he looks so vulnerable and something else that you can't quite make out and so you decide against it, shaking your head. 

"No, I wasn't. He was talking about how his friends call him Hux, though in reality, I think everyone calls him that because what sort of name is Armitage? And he asked what my name was and I said it was Y/N but then I mentioned that you called me something special and he asked what it was but I didn't tell him because that stuff is between us only." 

Ben's eyes find yours and stay there for a couple of seconds and he smiles shyly, before darting away over your shoulder. Turning around, you see a blonde girl with braids making her way into the coffee shop and you realise that this must be Kaydel. Your phone buzzes in your pocket and when you pull it out you realise it's a text from Ben. 

**Ben (2:55 pm): She's early. Good start don't you think?**

**Y/N (2:55 pm): I am literally across the table from you Ben lol**

**Ben (2:56 pm): Didn't stop you from texting me when I was across the car from you earlier.**

"Touché." You say to Ben as you turn back around and smirk at him just as Poe comes over to your little booth. "Hi, I'm Kaydel." The blonde girl sticks her hand out to you and you stand up to shake her hand. "Hi, I'm Y/N, Poe's friend. It's so nice to meet you." Kaydel smiles as she looks at you until her attention turns to Ben where he's reading through the textbook and her eyes widen slightly. You mentally roll your eyes and your liking for the girl decreases by a fraction. 

Now, you knew Ben was a good-looking guy. You've noticed, okay? It'd be very difficult for you _not_ to notice. But this type of thing happens quite often. Whenever you and Ben or you, Ben and Poe would go out to coffee shops or restaurants or even clubs or parties when you guys wanted a night off, girls would notice how handsome he was and fling themselves at him like he was a prize to be won. 

Now, Kaydel wasn't doing that, but you could tell from her body language that she thought Ben was attractive, and you had to agree with her because he was. It was now a case of how the event of you all studying together was going to proceed. 

"Hi, I'm Kaydel, I'm assuming you must be Ben?" She says in a slightly higher pitched voice than the one she had used to talk to you, and you internally roll your eyes again as you pull your bag up from underneath the table and pull out your MacBook, booting it up and looking up at Poe. "Where's Rey?" 

"She's coming over... now actually, where we all sitting?" 

You gesture to the booth you're in and then realise what Poe's question means. "Oh right, where do you guys want to sit? I have a preference for the outside of the booth, so I'll be on this side if that's okay?" 

Kaydel was engaged in a conversation with Ben and had sat down next to him in the booth, setting her bag next to her and also pulling out her laptop. "Ben?" You say, probably louder than what was necessary but you didn't care. "Yeah?" He said, looking up at you with a look that said 'help me now please' that almost made you want to laugh. Almost. 

"Where are you sitting?" 

"Oh, I'll sit next to you hold on." Ben moves across the booth to sit next to you, and you notice Kaydel's expression form a pout of sorts. Suddenly, you feel a tap on your arm, and you jump around in shock before realising who it was. "Rey, hi!"

"Hey girl, did you get my message?" You pull out your phone and realise you had, in fact, gotten a message from Rey 20 minutes ago. You look up at her with an apologetic and sheepish smile. 

"I'm so sorry, before we came here I was watching a movie with Ben and I wasn't on my phone and my Do Not Disturb was on so I didn't even realise I'd gotten your message." Rey chuckles and shakes her head at you, knowing what you can be like. Since you were 'all about the studying' (you had never said that, Rey had coined that phrase thank you very much) you weren't on your phone much so she knew that unless it was late at night or early in the morning, she or anyone else wasn't going to get a speedy reply. You mainly only went on your phone to text and scroll through social media aimlessly. 

"Poe where are you sitting mate?" 

"I'll just sit next to you Ben and then Kaydel can sit on the end, is that okay?" 

"Yeah that's... fine," Kaydel replied as she stood up from the booth so Poe could slip in next to Ben. "So you must be Rey?" Kaydel said to Rey enthusiastically who nodded her head with a smile before setting the tray down she was holding on the table with your food and drinks. "Poe has told me so much about you." 

"Aww, Poe, stop it!" Rey blushed as Poe just smiled at her and stood up so he could give her a kiss on the cheek. "Anyway, I have to get back to work, unfortunately, but I get off at 5 if you guys are staying?" 

"I can't unfortunately, I've gotta get off early so I can get to my shift at work, but I hope we can hang out sometime in the future," Kaydel says as she reaches down to get her bag from underneath the table to get her books. You turn back around, accidentally nudging Ben with your elbow as you do so. "Sorry." You murmur to Ben and you just hear a hum of acceptance and you suppress the urge to laugh. From the corner of your eye, you could see he was looking at an article (presumably for the paper) on his MacBook so you accepted that you weren't going to get a response. You knew what Ben was like when reading. 

"Rey, have you got your stuff with you? Like for school?" 

"Yeah, why?" 

"After you get off work just come over to our little booth, we're all still hanging out then and I can text Rose and Finn and see if they want to come along, sound good?" 

"Yeah, sound's great! I'll see you guys in a bit." She waved at you as she left the booth and you turned back around to input the passcode into your MacBook, silencing it as the screen came up. Pulling out your phone, you turn to Ben next to you, tapping his shoulder. "Hmm?" He says, tearing his eyes away from the article he was reading and looking at you. 

"Are we working together on the paper?" 

"If you want, I brought headphones though if we both just want to work on it ourselves." 

"Well, I was thinking we could work on it ourselves but then message through our laptops about it. Sound good?" 

"Yeah, that's fine," Ben says as he pulls out his headphones and plugs them into his phone as you do the same, placing the buds in your ears before tapping on your Spotify app and pressing shuffle on your playlist yet again. 'Just Like Fire' came on through your headphones and you immediately smiled at the motivational song, taking your hot chocolate and muffin from the tray in front of you and putting them next to your notebook, taking care not to spill any of your drink. Suddenly, a buzz came through on your phone. 

**Poe (3:08 pm): How come you and Ben got headphones in?**

You rolled your eyes at your screen before replying to his message.

**Y/N (3:09 pm): Because that's how we get work done. Talk to Kaydel about the paper, she's your study buddy after all.**

**Poe (3:09 pm): Yeah I know, but Ben is your study buddy, so shouldn't you be talking to him? **

**Y/N (3:10 pm): Poe, you are my friend but you are distracting me right now. I need to get an outline done for this paper. Have fun.**

Poe looks up at you from across the table, and you shoot him a smirk in response and give a nod in Kaydel's direction who is looking at her laptop. He shoots a sarcastic smile at you before pulling out his bag from underneath and grabbing his laptop and textbook. 

Hopefully, this paper wouldn't take _too_ many all-nighters. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reader's t-shirt](https://d1x7zurbps6occ.cloudfront.net/product/xlarge/471863-142805.jpg)   
>  [Reader's jacket](https://hips.hearstapps.com/vader-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/1577063268-e099365e-779d-4369-b4d0-5712e816d226.jpg)   
>  [Reader's boots](https://images.riverisland.com/is/image/RiverIsland/black-faux-leather-chunky-heel-ankle-boots_736574_main?%24productImageLarge%24)


	5. Just A Friend?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to heat up but I think that's just all the tension, I'm so sorry about the slow burn but I'm a sucker for build up so ya know, oops  
> Also, I updated the chapter count! This number may change however it is there as a guide for people to see just how long this fic may actually be :)  
> Enjoy lovelies <3

You were 3 pages into your outline, it had been 2 hours, and you weren't wanting to throw your laptop away yet. In your eyes, compared to other years, that was progress. 

Kaydel had left about 20 minutes ago so she could go to work, and before she had left you had exchanged numbers just in case she couldn't get in touch with Poe for something.

However, you had burned your way through a hot chocolate and nearly a full bottle of Coca-Cola, so your body was on a sort of sugar-high that as an aspiring doctor, you probably shouldn't be on. But oh well, you had to get through medical school somehow right? 

Suddenly, a notification came through on iMessage on your Macbook, and you open the tab. It was from Ben. 

**Ben (5:05 pm): How far into the outline are you?**

**Y/N (5:06 pm): 3 pages but nearly on my fourth, you?**

From the corner of your eye, you can see Ben run his hand through his dark locks, one of his tics that occurred when he was stressed.

**Ben (5:06 pm): Just started my 3rd page, you wanna read through and compare outlines when we're done?**

**Y/N (5:06 pm): Yeah sure, btw Rose and Finn are coming at 5:30, I texted them earlier.**

**Ben (5:07 pm): Cool, back to work it is**

You shake your head with a smile before returning to the Word document you were currently on. Reading it through, you edited parts of the paper that didn't connect with other pieces, and edited things out that seemed necessary. After reading through countless articles and notes from past classes, you had finally managed the outline, messaging Ben once it was done. By the time you had finished, Rose and Finn had arrived and Rey had joined you all at the booth, all three of them pulling out books and laptops. Thank god Ben had chosen a booth that was large enough to accommodate you all. 

**Y/N (5:44 pm): Finally finished the outline. You near done yet or no?**

**Ben (5:45 pm): Yeah, finished a couple of minutes ago but was just reading through. I'll email it through now. Bear in mind, it is shit**

**Y/N (5:45 pm): I'm sure it is definitely not shit. You wrote it after all. Anything you write is far from shit Mr Solo.**

**Ben (5:46 pm): I am eternally grateful for your everlasting faith in me my dear but believe me, it is shit.**

**Ben (5:46 pm): It's sent, awaiting yours.**

Exiting out of iMessage, you scroll over to your document and email to Ben's laptop. You pull your headphones out, tired and needing a break. Next to you, Ben keeps his in as he starts to read your outline of the paper. 

"And so she returns to the land of the living!" Finn's voice cuts through the air and you look up at him with a tired smile. "Hey Finn, how are you?" 

"I'm good, I'm good, how are you? Med school kicking your ass?" 

"You say that as if it hasn't been happening since I got in." You laugh and reach down into your bag to pull out a bag of Haribo Starmix, knowing for a fact that you would have to cut down on the sugar sooner rather than later. "How much sugar have you had today?" 

"....ermmmm, a lot?" 

"Girl, I cannot have you having a heart attack because you need a sugar high to get work done," Rose says to you as she focuses on something on her laptop. You scoff playfully at her and turn back to your laptop before leaning back to stretch your arms. "Finn, did you send your schedule over to the group?" 

"Yeah I did, do you wanna check it for us so we can all see when we're all free?" 

"Yeah sure." You pull your headphones out of your phone before unlocking it and tapping on the Messages app, noticing two new notifications, one from an unknown number. 

**Unknown Number (5:51 pm): Hey, this is Hux, from class?**

"Errr, guys?" You say with a hint of alarm, and Ben immediately takes his headphones out and looks at you. "What is it?" Rey says with concern and you just show Ben your phone. 

"How the hell did he get my number?" You whisper to him, and he looks at Poe, motioning for him to come over to your side of the booth. When he reaches it, he looks at your phone as well and sucks in a breath through his teeth with a whistle. 

"Jesus, the guy is persistent." You look up at him with a scowl and move to delete the message before Ben stops you by grabbing your arm. 

"Don't delete it, if we keep it we can show it to the Dean and get a restraining order or something." 

"Ben, we can't get a restraining order, he hasn't done anything." 

"He got your number somehow without asking any of us." Poe pointed out and you slumped in your seat. Poe had a point. One that you couldn't oppose really, which kind of sucked since most of your time was spent opposing Poe's points. 

"Yeah, but he must have gotten it from someone in class or someone on campus. I'm friends with some of the people in other classes like virology and biochemistry across classes. Remember Phasma? From organic chemistry?" 

"Still, he shouldn't be asking for your number across campus. I don't even know who the guy is and he already sounds creepy." Rey says as she sits back in her chair and sips her latte. You nod your head in defeat at her and swipe across to the group chat, leaving Hux on read and not bothering to reply. Taking a look at Finn's schedule, you open up an Excel document on your laptop, and after about 15 minutes you send it across to the group chat with a caption reading: "This is when we're all free, it's a difficult year this year because me Ben and Poe have classes all over the place whereas you guys have your classes mainly in the morning." 

You see each of your friends open up the document and hum in agreement as Ben taps you on the shoulder. "Yeah?" 

"Your outline is really good, I really like it. It only needs a quick polish and then you're done. I'm saying easily a 90." 

"A 90? On the first assignment Ben? I'm not that good." 

Ben scoffs before exiting the document on his MacBook and taking a sip of his coffee. "Yes you are, you just need more confidence sweetheart." 

You blush a little at the nickname (for the second time today) but blame it on the warmth of the coffee shop and the sugar high you were currently on. 

"Hold on, let me read yours now." You put your headphones back and continue the song that was playing ("These Are The Lies" by The Cab) whilst reading through Ben's paper. As you pass each page, your hand stops finding its way into the bag of candy and your eyes grow wider. Ben's writing was amazing. It linked together clearly, it was concise and it had accurate data points and statistic figures. After reading it over for the 3rd time (it was _that_ good), you pull your headphones and look at Ben with wide eyes. "What?" 

You hit him in the shoulder playfully and point to his paper which was still on your screen. "How in the fucking hell is your paper that good Solo?" 

He blushes a little, and he smiles at you whilst drinking his coffee. "You think it's that good?" 

"Yes, I think it's that good! You don't even need a final draft, that's perfect as it is. That, my friend, is a 90 _at least_ unlike my piece of trash." 

"Hey, hey, don't say that," Ben says as he grasps both of your shoulders and makes you face him. "Your writing is great Y/N, okay? Don't put yourself down when you know you're capable of so many great things." 

"Ben I-" 

"No, I'm being serious. You're so good at everything you do, I swear to God you're so much better than me like all your papers put mine to shame. They're concise, linked, have accurate statistics and you always managed to come back to the paper stimulus on each one. I can never link back. So stop doubting yourself, you're amazing." 

A chorus of applause breaks out across the table and the bubble around you and Ben breaks. As you both look towards your friends, Ben's hands still on your shoulders, smirks are laden across Poe's, Rose's, Rey's and Finn's faces as they continue to clap. "So when's the engagement lovebirds?" Poe says to you both whilst dodging a pen that you lodge at his head. 

"Poe!" You and Ben both say whilst you flip him off and look back at your laptop, trying to will the rising blush in your cheeks to fade away from public sight. Looking at the time, you realise that it is 6:21 pm and that you've been working for 4 hours. Not your longest workathon by a long shot but still enough to allow all your backbones to crack loudly as you stretch your arms and back over the booth. "Boys?" You say to no one in particular as they all answer 'yeah' in unison. "Sorry I meant Ben and Poe." 

"Yeah?" 

"Did you apply or email for places at hospitals?" 

"I did yeah." 

"Yep, sent mine in last week." 

"Okay, because I think I just got a reply back from them." You say as you check your emails on your laptop. A notification had come up in the corner reading: IMPORTANT, and you had quickly clicked on it, hoping it was an email back from the hospital you had applied to in order to intern there for the year. 

"Dear Miss L/N, blah blah blah blah... we are happy to offer you a place- OH MY GOD GUYS I GOT A PLACE!" You shout to them all as Ben brings you in for a hug and you nearly start to cry with happiness. A chorus of 'well done' and 'congratulations' breaks out, and you smile into Ben's embrace, so happy to have friends like the. Finally extracting yourself from Ben's arms with a smile still plastered to your face, you tell both Poe and Ben to open their emails to check to see whether they had a place at the hospitals they had applied for. 

You had all made a promise not to tell each other what hospitals you had applied to intern at until after you had gotten emails back from them. This was because you knew that if you told each other and had coincidentally applied for the same hospital

When they both check their emails, their reactions are practically the same. Both boys whoop loudly and look at each other's phones before clapping each other on the back and saying 'well done to each other'. 

"Poe! Come here babe I want to say." 

Ben turns to you and shows you the email that he had received a couple of minutes ago from his hospital of choice. When you look at the sender, you nearly drop your bottle of Coca-Cola that you had been drinking out of.

"Ben, that's the same hospital as me!" You tell him, half excited and half anxious about the fact that you guys were going to be in even closer proximity compared to before if that was possible. "Poe what hospital did you apply for?" When he says the name of the hospital, you gasp aloud again and place your Coke bottle back onto the table in order to avoid dropping it. 

"We're all going to the same hospital, fuck yes!" 

You all laugh with each other and decide to pack up and leave it there for the night, and as you and Poe get in Ben's car, you can't help but think of what an amazing group of friends you had stumbled across in freshman year of college. 

It's 1 am. You couldn't sleep. 

You had tried everything at this point. Reading until your eyes got tired, taking a hot shower, putting on some relaxing music on your phone. None of it had worked. Your double bed felt too cold, too empty. You wanted someone to cuddle and fall asleep with, you wanted someone to wake up to in the morning. 

Grabbing your phone off the nightstand, you decide to take a shot in the dark and text the person across the hall. 

**Y/N (1:08 am): Hey, I know it's super late, but is there any chance you're awake?**

Deciding to scroll through Tumblr until you fall asleep, you're surprised when you get a reply back quickly. 

**Ben (1:09 am): Actually, yeah I am. Can't sleep?**

**Y/N (1:10 am): Not really, I'm actually feeling kind of lonely.**

**Y/N (1:11 am): Not that that is why I texted you, I just wanted to talk to someone and usually, everyone else is asleep.**

**Y/N (1:11 am): You're the only person I know who has my sleeping pattern lol**

Suddenly you hear a knock on your door which startles you. Thankful that you had gone to bed in shorts and an oversized t-shirt, you get out of bed and pad softly over to the door, pulling it open with a soft _creak._ Standing there is Ben, hair slightly rumpled from, you assumed, tossing and turning, and dressed in just sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Hey," he says gently, leaning against the doorframe, smiling down at you. "Do you mind if I come in?" Moving out of his way, you motion for him to enter your room and close the door quietly.

You go around to the side of the bed and climb in, fully expecting him to just sit on the bed and talk until you fall asleep. Sometimes, when either you or he would have nightmares, you would do that with each other. You said that you found each other's voices soothing, and so it had become a tradition of sorts when neither of you could sleep. 

But you were stunned when you felt him lay down on the bed next to you and you rolled over to face him just as he was moving the covers over himself. "Is this okay?" He whispers to you whilst rolling on his side to face you as well. You nod at him and pull the covers up in order to get comfortable until you whisper "I'm cold" to him. Suddenly, you feel his arms envelope you and bring you into his chest, and you suppress a stunned squeak. 

"You said you were cold Y/N." He murmured into your hair as his head rested on top of yours, and you smile into his chest. "Goodnight Ben." You mumble, feeling tiredness wash over you. "Goodnight sweetheart." He replies sleepily, and at that moment you are so incredibly fucking glad that you don't have a class tomorrow morning. 

Because you never want this to end. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooof we have a lot of fluff here! Hoping you guys are all liking it!


	6. Warmth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the comments, kudos and bookmarks! Knowing that people are actually enjoying what I write makes me feel so happy and motivated to write more, so thank you!

You awoke, far too warm and comfortable in your own bed compared to other mornings. You were confused until you felt the arms around your waist and the hair wasn't yours tickling the nape of your neck. Realising who it was, you smile a little, before remembering you had work this morning and you had to get ready. "Ben," you whisper whilst trying to extract yourself from his arms only to be pulled in tighter by him with a low groan.

Grabbing your phone from the nightstand, you checked the time with bleary eyes. 7:46 AM. Good, you weren't going to be late and you had time for breakfast.

"Ben, come on I have work," you chuckled as he groaned louder and tried to pull you back into the warmth of under the duvet. "I know but you're my best friend and I don't want you to goooooo." He whined as you sat up, pulling on black socks which you had pulled from your nightstand and standing up. Heading over to your closet, you pull out a pair of black jeans and a simple black t-shirt, happy that the coffee shop you worked at did not have a majorly strict dress code. 

"Well, I have to go in order to keep paying the rent and bills for the apartment. By the way, did the professor in biochemistry manage to get back to you about the tutoring before the semester started?" 

"Err yeah actually he did, he said that even though I'm doing a medicinal degree that since I still took a biochem class last year as extra credit, I can still tutor students about the subject since I got a 98 on the final."

You whip your head around to face him from your closet. "You got a 98?!" Ben's smile was sheepish and his ear's reddened a little at the tips as he tried to burrow back under the duvet to avoid your shocked stare. 

"Oh no Ben Solo get back up here a minute." Going to stand over by the bed, you wait there with a smile on your face until Ben's face emerges from the duvet once again. "Why didn't you tell me you got a 98 on the final?"

"I did tell you, I think." 

"I think I would remembering you telling me you got a 98 ON THE FINAL!"

"Okay, okay! I didn't tell you because..." 

"Because..." you prompted, going back over to your closet to pull out some knee-high boots before turning back around to face Ben who was now sat up against the headboard. 

"....because I didn't want you to... feel bad." 

You cocked your head in confusion at him, but Ben mistook it for anger and let loose a groan, using a pillow to cover his face. "Ben, Ben, hey what are you doing?"

"Please don't be mad at me." 

"Why would I be ma- oh."

Walking back over to the bed, shoes forgotten, you gently lift the pillow from Ben's face. "Ben, I'm not mad at you." He looked up at you with a confused expression. This obviously was not how he was expecting this to pan out. 

"You're not?"

"No, of course I'm not, I didn't even take that class last year because I was busy doing more research and tutoring people in the years below us, so I didn't have time to take extra credit. Besides, biochem would NOT have been my first choice at all."

Ben chuckled a little and looked up at you with a small, shy smile. _Goddamn this man_

"But Ben, listen to me. You don't have to protect me from things all the time. I know I can compare myself a lot to other people, but I'm a big girl, I know how to handle my emotions in a healthy way. Don't keep things from me just because you think they are going to hurt me, okay? That's not what we've ever done and to hell with it if we're gonna start now." 

Ben nods and you sigh, smiling at him before hitting him softly with a pillow, Ben gasping in mock hurt and offence. Grabbing another pillow, he hits you lightly in the side, and between the both of you, it nearly escalates into a full-blown pillow fight before you call out to stop, gasping and laughing. "Do you want to grab breakfast before I head to work?" 

"Yeah sure, let me get dressed." Ben slips out of bed, wincing at how cold the floor had gotten during the night, and you chuckle. Once he had left to go get ready, you threw your hair into a messy bun and proceeded to the bathroom. On your way out of your room, you encounter Poe, who had just come from his bedroom tired and needing coffee. 

"Morning Poe."

"Morning Y/N, how you doing?" 

"I'm pretty good thanks, got work soon so me and Ben are going to go and pick up some breakfast, how are you?" 

"I'm pretty good, tired as fuck though, mind picking me up something? I'll transfer the money." 

"Yeah, of course, your usual?" You say as you pull out your phone from your jeans and decide to order from Starbucks, Poe murmuring a 'yeah ' on his way to the kitchen before you decide to text Ben about the decision. 

**Y/N (7:59 AM): You good with Starbucks?**

**Ben (8:01 AM): Yeah that's fine, can you get me my usual and I'll pay you back? :)**

**Y/N (8:02 AM): Yeah of course :)**

Exiting the Messages app, you click on the Starbucks app and place an order for all three of you, placing the order so it could be collected from the nearest Starbucks, which was a 5-minute walk from your apartment thank god. Texting Ben and Poe to say you had placed the order, you head on to the bathroom to continue getting ready for the day. 

"God their muffins are great!" You said as you moaned in happiness as you took another bite. You and Ben had decided to go and pick up breakfast so that you could just head to work and Ben could head back to the apartment. Your phone buzzed in your pocket as Ben laughed and agreed with you. When you pulled out your phone to check the notification, you realized the time. 

"Shit Ben I gotta get to work I have 10 minutes." 

"Okay, well do you want me to walk you?" He said whilst taking another bite out of his ham and cheese toastie. "Yeah if you want to, it's only a couple of blocks from here."

As you started walking, you realised the notification was from Rey, and you sneakily opened it whilst talking to Ben. 

**Rey (8:45 AM): Hey, do you want to meet me and Rose for a girls night this weekend? I'm bringing the wine lol**

**Y/N (8:46 AM): Yessss can't wait, I'll bring money so we can order pizza**

Putting your phone back in your pocket, you realized you had arrived at the coffee shop where you worked, First Order Co. It was a quaint little place, the windows tinted black and the outside painted red. You liked the vibe it gave off, mysterious and beautiful. 

"Anyway, if you want I can pick you up?" Ben's voice brought you out of your thoughts and you turned to him with a smile. "Yeah, that'd be great! Class is at 5 right?" 

"Yeah, I think so." 

"Okay, my shift ends at 12 so you could pick me up, go back to the apartment so I can shower and we can get ready and then just continue that paper until we have to go to class, sound good?" 

"Sounds good," He said with a smile as you placed your phone back in your pocket, ready to start the day. "Anyway, I've gotta go, see ya in a bit."

"See ya later Y/N." He said, turning away after waving goodbye whilst you entered the coffee shop. You hope the shift today wouldn't drag on. You hadn't even brought a book with you. 

"Mindy, we need a tuna and cheese sandwich with a cold brew here." You say to your co-worker. The time was 11:49, 10 minutes until you got off work and the place was filling up fast with the lunch rush. Mindy nodded at you from around the corner and thrust a cold brew into your hands so you could give it to the gentleman you were currently serving, saying with a smile that he would have to wait a minute for his sandwich to heat up. He smiled in appreciation and moved off to the side. 

"Hi, I'm Y/N can I take your order plea-oh," you cut yourself off as you looked at the man in front of you. He smiled in a cold way, as if it was rehearsed. "Hello Y/N lovely to see you again." 

"Hello Armitage, what can I get you?" You said, uneasy with seeing him in such a public place, unsure whether it was just a coincidence or not. 

"I'd like a caramel tart, hot chocolate and a date to go please." 

"I can get you the first two certainly, but I'm afraid I'm just not interested Armitage, I'm sorry." His smile transformed into something of a sneer, and he stepped back slightly from the counter, nearly bumping into someone behind you. "You'll see in due time Y/N that I'm the best you're ever going to get compared to that tall _boyfriend_ of yours." He said coldly. 

"You're going to need to step off to the side Armitage to wait for your order, it'll be about 10 minutes." You looked at the clock behind you just as it hit 12. Finally, your shift was over and you could go home. Before going into the back to retrieve your jacket and remove the apron you wore as a barista, you said one last thing to Hux. 

"And he's not my boyfriend, but I'd damn sure prefer him over you." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is really short but I have like no energy and I just want to sleep soooo


	7. Los Amigos Group Chat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just decided to add something a little different in for this one instead of just telling the story. I thought it would be nice to see how everyone interacted over a group chat, and it also links to the next chapter so enjoy lovelies <3

**Los Amigos Group Chat**

**Did anyone else get an invite to a party from some guy named Brad? Apparently he goes MIT? : Y/N (11:00 PM)**

**Rose (11:05 PM): Yeah I got one**

**Rey (11:10 PM): Me too**

**Finn (11:11 PM): He told me in class today, we thinking of going?**

**@Ben @Poe We thinking of going boys? : Y/N (11:20 PM)**

**Ben (11:21 PM): You are literally sat next to me Y/N what is your fascination with texting?**

**Rose (11:22 PM): What are you guys doing together?**

**Studying, and writing a paper, though Ben seems to think I should just turn mine in now: Y/N (11:24 PM)**

**Ben (11:25 PM): You should! It's so good honestly**

**You say that because you are my best friend, and the love that you have for me as your best friend has made you biased: Y/N (11:26 PM)**

**Ben (11:27 PM): If anything that love has made me smarter due to all the things you have taught me**

**Poe (11:29 PM): Since when did this go from talking about going to a party to talking about love?**

**About 5 minutes ago, Poe, I don't have the exact timestamp though: Y/N (11:30 PM)**

**Poe (11:31 PM): Goddamnit Y/N**

**Rey (11:36 PM): Anyway, are we going to this party or not?**

**What time does it start?: Y/N (11:40 PM)**

**Ben (11:41 PM): Can we even go?**

**Well I got an invite, did you guys get one?: Y/N (11:43 PM)**

**Poe (11:45 PM): I got one but that's just because Finn is bringing me as a +1**

**Poe (11:45 PM): Why don't you just do that @Y/N?**

**Yeah true. Ben if you want to go you can go as my +1: Y/N (11:47 PM)**

**Wait, Hux won't be there will he?: Y/N (11:48 PM)**

**Rose (11:49 PM): Shouldn't imagine so**

**Poe (11:51 PM): Nah I don't think so, probably got his head shoved so far up his own ass he won't even know about it**

**Ben (11:52 PM): Yeah I can go, we got any scheduling conflicts?**

**Poe (11:53 PM): Nah man, let's just go and chill**

**Nope, none. The paper is due on Friday and so far we haven't got another assignment: Y/N (11:54 PM)**

**Rey (12:00 AM): It's on Saturday right?**

**Rose (12:01 AM): Yeah**

**Rose (12:03 AM): And it starts at 10**

**Seems a bit early for a party, is he inviting sophomores or something?: Y/N (12:04 AM)**

**Poe (12:05 AM): Who cares? I'm gonna get drunk**

**Ben (12:06 AM): @Y/N be ready on standby for chunks being hurled**

**Unfortunately I am ready: Y/N (12:07 AM)**

**Finn (12:08 AM): Sorry guys I was finishing a reading assignment**

**Poe (12:09 AM): It's okay dude, so we all on for the party?**

**Rey (12:10 AM): Yep**

**Rose (12:14 AM): Yeah**

**Ben (12:16 AM): Yeah but I'm probably gonna leave around 11:30/12**

**Ben are you alright to text me when you leave because I really don't want to be out late: Y/N (12:17 AM)**

**Ben (12:17 AM): Yeah course :)**

**Ben (12:18 AM): Anyway me and Y/N are going to sleep now so night guys**

**Oh are we now?: Y/N (12:19 AM)**

**Ben (12:20 AM): You just yawned like a million times and said 'I'm going to sleep'...**

**...I hate how you make fair points, I never should have taught you how to debate: Y/N (12:21 AM)**

**Ben (12:22 AM): You love it really**

**That is debatable at this point, you always win the arguments: Y/N (12:23 AM)**

**Ben (12:23 AM): I still stand by what I said**

**...Yes I do love it, however I also love sleep so goodnight all!: Y/N (12:24 AM)**

**Ben (12:24 AM): Goodnight Y/N :)**

**Rey (12:24 AM): Goodnight girl!**

**Rose (12:27 AM): Goodnight hun**

**Poe (12:28 AM): Goodnight bro**

**Finn (12:29 AM): Goodnight Y/N**


	8. Cuddling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the comments and kudos on the previous chapters! I'm so happy y'all are liking this story.

"Poe, this is the second time this week and I'm so close to pulling my hair out you have no fucking clue." You say outside of his bedroom door as you stand there with your hair and makeup done and your backpack slung over your back. 

"It is not my fault Y/N. Do you know how long it takes to look this fabulous?" 

"Well maybe if you had gotten up earlier then we wouldn't be in this situation." 

"Hey, not my fault I was up late talking to my girlfriend. Maybe your salty because you're not up late talking to a boo." He says whilst finally exiting his bedroom with everything seemingly in place. You scoff and walk over to the door, tapping Ben on the shoulder where he was sitting on the couch, also waiting for Poe. 

"Besides, it's a 6 pm class, what does waking up early have to do with anything?" 

"If you go to bed late, you usually wake up late, and because you haven't done anything all of this morning and this afternoon apart from stay in your room, you're lethargic, and for some reason decided to start getting ready for class 1/2 an hour before it starts!"

Poe rolls his eyes as he grabs his keys from the dish beside the door and then exits the apartment, leaving you and Ben alone and sighing in unison. "Sometimes," you say as you walk towards the door with Ben behind you, "Sometimes I wonder how he became our friend." 

Ben chuckles behind you at your statement, making you smile as you head to your class, Poe waiting at the bottom of the stairs for you. 

"Now that I have your papers in, I will grade them this weekend and have them back to you by Monday morning. If you have any other questions, I am available over email and during weekend office hours. You are all dismissed." Papers were rustled as notebooks were stuffed in bags and everyone stood up in order to leave. You reached down under the bench to get your bag so you could put away your notebook when Poe tapped your shoulder, and you turned around to face him. 

"Listen, I just wanted to say I'm sorry about before class. I'll try harder in order to be more punctual and manage my time better. I know how much it means to you."

You smile at him and pull him in for a tight hug. Once letting him go, you reply as you continue packing up your bag. "It's okay Poe, and thank you for apologising, that means a lot to me." 

Standing up, you pick your bag up and stumble backwards a little from the weight, only to feel warm hands catch you around your waist. Looking up, you see Ben's face above your own smiling, and you both break into laughter, Ben's hands still on your waist as he helps you become upright. "So Poe, are you staying home tonight or are you meeting Rey?"

"Me and Rey are going to hit a bar and then I'm going to stay at her place tonight and tomorrow and we'll meet you both at the party, sound cool?"

"Yeah sounds fine." You and Ben both say as he stands up as well. 

"Well, well, well, look what we have here." A voice drawls behind you and you instantly turn around, and upon doing so see Hux on front of you. "Hux, what do you want?" 

"Like I said this morning, a date would be nice." 

You roll your eyes and set your bag down on your seat, crossing your arms and looking directly at Hux. 

"Hux, I already told you I'm not interested, so can you please just back off? A girl, or anyone for that matter, doesn't find it attractive or appealing when guys repeatedly pursue them after being told no or get their phone number without them even realising. That was just creepy." 

"But Y/N, I really like you, I think you're really intelligent and all that shit, and let's not forget that bangin body baby-"

"Hux, I swear to God, I don't even know you but back off or I swear you will regret even trying to speak to her," Ben growled above you, and subconsciously you pressed back into his chest, seeking comfort in the baritone rumbles of his voice that were vibrating through his body. Hux's eyes widened at Ben's tone, and then narrowed when he saw you two pressed together, immediately drawing up a wrong conclusion. 

" _Ohh_ I see what this is," he said in a drawl, clearly thinking there was something going on between you and Ben. "You're being the protective boyfriend aren't you Romeo huh? You decided to finally snatch up that-"

Before Hux could even finish his sentence, Ben was making a move towards him but stopped when you placed your hands on his and rubbed his knuckles soothingly, calming him down gradually. You could tell he was still angry from his alleviated heart rate in his chest and his increased breathing rate, but you imagined it was because he hated seeing anyone, especially his friends, get disrespected, especially in a way that was either sexual or inappropriate. 

"Hux I suggest you leave, _now_." You said in a cold tone as you stared him down. With a huff, he shouldered his bag and made his way to the bottom of the lecture hall and out the door. When it closed, you all breathed a sigh of relief, and you extracted yourself from Ben's arm with a murmured 'thank you'. You picked up your bag from the bench and checked everything was there before slinging it onto your shoulder, motioning for Poe to lead the way out of the lecture hall, you and Ben behind him. 

"Ben, is the pizza here?" You shout from your room, nearly at the end of taking off your makeup from the day. Since you were a little more shaken up than you would like to admit (who wouldn't be after that incident?), Ben had suggested after Poe had left that instead of studying, you both take a night off and just relax. You had accepted his offer of being a couch potato gratefully, and you couldn't help but be thankful that you had managed to build such a strong friendship and bond with the man. It was just a shame feelings on your side had gotten involved, which meant you over analysed everything that you did in regards to him. 

Tugging on a pair of soft flannel pyjamas, you took your hair down of the bun it had been and shook it loose, massaging your scalp with a groan as you eased the stress from the day. You grabbed your phone, but then re-evaluated the situation and decided to leave it in your room. Tonight you were going to disconnect for a while and just spend some quality time with your best friend that wasn't studying or writing papers. You opened your bedroom door and padded down the hall to the living room, gasping when you saw what Ben had done. 

He had dimmed the lighting so it was nearly dark and he had taken out loads of blankets from the cupboard next to his room and layered them all across the wide couch you guys had, which had been pulled out into a bed so that you guys could lay down on it. Pillows were layered across the back of it, and there were pizza, fries and garlic bread along with bottles of soda set up on the coffee table. It was a cinema of sorts. You looked at him with your mouth wide open. 

"Ben, what even- why did you do all this?" You said on disbelief. 

"Well I uh-," he said with a small smile and a chuckle, a blush rising on his cheeks as well. "I wanted to do something really nice for you because that guy Hux was such a dick and I never want you to feel how he made you feel so I decided to go kinda all out. I hope it's not too much? I thought we could have a movie marathon until one of us falls asleep." 

You smiled widely at him, knowing full well you were blushing too but not caring in the slightest. "No Ben, it's not too much at all, thank you so much." 

You went around to the front of the pull-out bed and lay down on it and layered blankets on top of yourself whilst Ben came and sat down next to you, grabbing the remote for the TV. "What do you want to watch first?" He asked you as he pulled up Disney+ on the screen, the blue hue illuminating your faces and the room while Ben grabbed all of the food and placed it in the middle of you for easy access. 

"How about National Treasure?" You said as you decided to dive into the garlic bread slices, relishing in how soft the bread was. 

"Yeah sure, 1 and then 2?" 

"Yeah, I love both of them." Clicking on the movie, it started to play, and you both dug into the food and drink, just enjoying each other's company at the same time. 

The food was finished, albeit for a few slices of pizza and garlic bread (Ben had decided to order a 16" of both), and most of the soda had been drunk, and all of it had been placed back on the coffee table. The last movie that had been put on was Captain America The Winter Soldier, and both you and Ben had fallen asleep. 

Next to each other. 

Somehow, in your sleep, Ben's arm had managed to find a way around your waist, and you were now being held against his chest snugly for the second time that day. Ben had awoken first, the rolling credits of the film waking him up as the bright white letters illuminated the room. Sleepily, he tapped your arm, murmuring your name. 

You weren't having any of it. 

Tapping you again, you groaned quietly before opening your eyes into a squint, making out Ben's face above you in the dark. 

"This is like the third time this week we've fallen asleep with each other." You whispered to him, and he only smiled at you, nodding at you, too tired to even speak. "Ben," you whisper to him, and he cocks his head at you. 

"We're clearly both tired, and I hate to say it but you look exhausted, let's just sleep here." 

Ben hummed in affirmation and you smiled at how adorable he was in his sleepy state. Hair messy, eyes glazed over and barely speaking. It was such a cute contrast to how put together he usually was. As he lay down, you stayed in your original position against him, before turning around to face him so you could lean over to get the remote to turn to the TV off. Once the music and TV had been turned off, the room was eerily silent, but it was kind of nice. 

Laying back down, you found you couldn't get comfortable. Moving about had woken you out of your sleepy state, and now you were close to being wide awake. Moving around you moved your pillows and punched them into a comfortable position next to Ben's. 

Ben must have felt all your moving about (after all, he was right next to you), and after a couple of minutes of trying to get comfortable, he propped himself up on his elbow and looked at you, whispering,

"Y/N, what's wrong?"

"I can't get comfortable, I think it's because I'm cold." 

"Come here then sweetheart." He said, opening his arms and laying back down. Unsure as to what he was implying, you cocked your head to the side, before finally realising what he was suggesting. 

"Are you sure you're okay with that Ben?"

"I'm okay with anything that will stop you from moving around and allow me to sleep. I'm not really bothered, you don't have to do it." 

Laying down, you gingerly wrapped your arms around Ben's waist, feeling the warmth that was radiating from his body underneath his sleep clothes. In his position (which felt weirdly natural for some reason to you) his head was on top of yours and his arms were around your shoulders, pulling you further into his chest. Technically, at this point, you were cuddling, which seemed a little weird from your perspective but hey if Ben was fine with it, so were you. You needed the sleep as well. 

"Goodnight sweetheart." He murmured into your hair softly. 

"Goodnight Ben." You replied.

And with that, you both fell asleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short but sweet! Hope you enjoyed this chapter lovelies <3 As always please leave kudos and comments :)


	9. Pre-Party Endeavours

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad you all are liking these chapters! It makes me so happy knowing that people are actually enjoying my writing.

"What the hell..." a voice rang out in the silent living room, waking you from a dreamless sleep. Opening your eyes with a groan and squinting at the sudden contact with light to your eyes, you look up above the couch to find Poe's face smirking down at you. Scrambling upwards, you wake Ben in the process, who shoots up on the couch with a fabulous case of bedhead and wide eyes. 

"What's going on?" He said quickly, running a hand through his hair with a yawn. 

"Oh nothing, just wondering why you guys had gotten so cosy," Poe said with a grin as flung your head into your heads with a groan. You knew this was going to happen, it always did in movies and tv shows, two people fall asleep together and get caught by their best friend and are never allowed to live it down. Until you remembered something, and you looked up at Poe with a confused expression. 

"Weren't you supposed to be at Rey's all day?" 

"Oh yeah, she forgot she had a shift today so I decided to come back here and get my stuff so I could meet up with Kaydel to study for the test next week."

You looked at Ben with wide eyes as he regarded you with a look of realisation. You had both completely forgotten that you had a test next week. You could easily study for it and catch up, but still, it stressed you out that you had forgotten about it. 

"Okay, cool, when are you leaving?"

Poe pulled out his phone and clicked the home button, looking at the lock screen and then replacing his phone back in his pocket. "Now actually, it's 9 am, which I know is early for me but we have that party tonight don't we?" 

Great. Another thing you had forgotten about. The party. 

"This is one of two parties that I will go to this year you know."

"Why's that Y/N?" 

"Because the parties aren't really my scene. I still don't see what's so appealing about watching college students and med school students chug beer and play beer pong and most likely vomit in the pool. Where is the appeal?"

"She has got a point," Ben's deep voice interjected as he went to get up as headed in the direction of the bathroom. Once disappearing inside it and closing the door with a click, Poe practically exploded. 

" _OMG Y/N TELL ME EVERYTHING!"_ He said quickly in a high-pitched voice which had you suppressing fits of giggles with your hand. You motioned for him to come and sit down on the other end of the pull-out bed, and he did so eagerly, leaning in to see what you had to say about what had happened between you and Ben. 

"Alright, alright Poe I'll tell you. We did... nothing," you said, laughing as his face fell into a pout and he whined in frustration. 

"Seriously Poe, nothing happened. We just watched a load of movies, ate a load of junk food and fell asleep. That's it."

"But you were cuddling, Y/N. Cuddling!" 

You tried not to blush as you remembered last night, how Ben had said it was fine to cuddle and had been perfectly all right with you wrapping your arms around him and snuggling into his chest. You regarded Poe with narrowed eyes. 

"So? Friends can platonically cuddle you know, it's actually very common when you fall asleep together, everybody wants to cuddle!"

"Again, she has a point Poe," Ben's voice rang out as he made his way back over to the couch, his and your phone in hand. He tossed your phone onto your lap and sat back motioned for Poe to move, which he did with a huff. Ben sat back down next to you and stretched out with a groan, all of his bones cracking as he moved his neck and back. 

"So nothing happened?"

"Nothing happened," you and Ben answered in unison as you both unlocked your phone to see what you had missed last night. You had a text from Rey, a text from your mom and about a million social media notifications, which you instantly deleted. You could look at those later. Tapping on the messages app, you opened the message from your mother first. 

**Mom (9:42 PM): Hey sweetie, just checking on you to see how your first week is going. I still can't believe it's your final year of medical school before residency. Me and your father are so proud of you honey! Remember, we love you loads.**

You chuckled as you re-read the message, swiping left and making a mental note to reply to it later. Your mom was such a sweet person, always looking out for you in any way possible. You weren't an only child, you had an older sister, Lilah, but she had gone off to law school about 4 years ago, and you didn't see her as much as you would like. However, she still came home for birthdays when she could and always made time for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter, which was nice of her since her job demanded so much of her time. Swiping on the next message, you realised it was from Rey. 

**Rey (9:43 PM): Hiya, can you help me with picking out an outfit for tomorrow? I don't know what to wear and I'm struggling to decide between the 2 :(**

She had sent you picture's of 2 dresses. One was a beautiful dark blue dress that was a halter-neck and the other was an off the shoulder gold dress. Both of them looked stunning, but you liked the gold one more. After looking at them for another couple of minutes you replied to her. 

**Y/N (9:08 AM): Hey, sorry I had a night where I just sort of disconnected from my phone and hung out with Ben so I didn't get your message until this morning :( I would definitely say the gold one, it'd complement your hair as well :)**

Within a few minutes, you got a reply.

**Rey (9:11 AM): Ah it's fine don't worry about it, and yeah Rose said that one as well plus I like it a lot more than the blue one so thanks! What are you planning on wearing tonight?**

Hmm, you hadn't give it much thought, which wasn't unusual for you since your head had been caught up in studying for the past couple of days. You quickly typed a reply. 

**Y/N (9:12 AM): Actually I'm not sure, do you and Rose want to come to mine tonight and help me choose?**

**Rey (9:13 AM): Yessss, sounds perfect, are Ben and Poe alright with it?**

"Ben, Poe?" 

"Yeah?" they said in unison, looking up from their phones. 

"Are you alright with Rey and Rose coming over tonight to help me get ready?"

"Yeah, that's fine."

"Yeah, why don't we go to Finn's place, Ben?" 

"Okay, I'll text him now. What time are they thinking of coming over Y/N?" 

"I don't know, I'll message Rey and ask." 

**Y/N (9:16 AM): They said that's fine and they're also thinking of going over to Finn's/your place so ya know it all works out. What time were you thinking?**

**Rey (9:17 AM): YES can't wait! And around 8-ish? Rose said she's fine with it btw and also if it starts at 10 that gives us enough time, plus we don't usually arrive until 1/2 an hour after it starts anyway**

**Y/N (9:18 AM): Okie donkey, I'll see you later then :)**

**Rey (9:18 AM): See you later girl! :)**

"So I'm off to meet Kaydel and if anything else happens then just let me know," Poe said as he picked up his bag and headed towards the door. You and Ben both shouted 'goodbye's to him before you finally stood up and threw your phone on the couch, ignoring the buzz which had just come from it. 

"Ben,"

"Yeah?" 

"What time are you thinking of going to Finn's?" 

"Ermmm," he said whilst running his hands through his hair. It had been tamed from its bedhead state but was still unruly. You decided you liked it better that way. "I messaged him saying around 8 and he said that was fine, what time are the girls coming over?" 

"Coincidentally, same time. So we all good for tonight?" 

"Mhm, remember I'm leaving early as well." 

"Are you drinking tonight?" You asked him on your way to the kitchen to grab a bottle of water. You didn't like coffee early in the morning, for some reason, it made you feel lethargic and even more tired. 

"Nah not tonight. I'd rather not." He said as you threw an extra bottle of water at him, his hands catching it deftly and uncapping it quickly so he could take a large gulp. 

"Same. I think I might just drink soda all night." 

"I will take that action, are you driving tonight?" 

"No I think we'll take an Uber, are you driving tonight Ben?" 

"Yep," he said, taking another gulp of water before standing up and tossing his half-empty bottle on the couch. "I'm the designated driver tonight," He chuckled and made his way to his bedroom before yelling out to you, 

"Since we have this test next week and nothing else to do you want to go out and study?" 

"What do you mean 'go out and study'?"

"I mean as in go out, get food and then hit the library and study. You know, like what we did on Thursday so we could finish the paper?" 

"Ohhh yeah, yeah that's fine," you said as you also got up off of the couch so you could go and get ready, deciding to shower tonight and just go to your bedroom after brushing your teeth and washing your face. 

"Where do you want to go for food?" 

"Errm," you said as you stepped inside the bathroom to brush your teeth and splash some cold water over your face to wake yourself up. Once you were done, you walked to your room to get ready, grabbing your phone from the living room on the way. 

Once inside your room, you set about picking out an outfit the door. You finally settled on a red criss-cross sweater-type shirt, black jeans and a black denim jacket, along with some black ankle heeled boots. Deciding to just go with a natural look, you curl your hair quickly and throw it up in a ponytail before grabbing your bag, making sure that everything is in there, and then you grab your wallet and phone before exiting your room, finally ready to start the day. 

When you make it to the living room, you notice Ben is on his phone and already ready. "Hey Ben, I'm ready, where do you want to go?" You say as you make your way over to the door and grab your keys from the dish. 

"Yeah, I was thinking we go to that place we went last time with Poe, Jakku Coffee? And then we head to the 24-hour library on campus and study until we forget there is a party tonight." He said whilst laughing standing up. You noticed that he was wearing black jeans, black boots and a black button-down shirt. You had to admit, he looked great, even when he was dressed casually. 

"Amen to the studying until we forget there is a party my good friend. I don't even know why I agreed to go, I always end up hating them?"

"Me too. I think it's because we are usually 85% of Poe's impulse control most of the time, however, Rey has thankfully taken that job now." 

You both laughed as you headed out the door. Today was going to be a good day, you were sure of it. 

"So what is this paper specifically on?" You ask Ben as you both sit down on a table on the top floor of the library, pulling snacks, drinks and textbooks out of your bag. You had gone to the store on the way here to pick up some stuff so that you guys wouldn't get hungry at the party because of the fact that party food usually sucked. Ben hummed in contemplation whilst opening his laptop and getting out his supplies as well. 

Once opening his notebook, he pointed at a post-it that had been stuck on top of some lecture notes from yesterday.

"It's a mix of questions about what could be the diagnosis, how to diagnose a condition, proper medical procedures and causes of certain diseases or illnesses. It's mixture, but she said it'd be a light test just to test our general knowledge to make sure we're awake."

You nodded at him, opening your bottle of low-sugar lemonade and a packet of Jolly Ranchers, popping a cherry one in your mouth and opening your laptop, textbook and notebook. "Okay, that sounds alright. So we just do a light study of everything?"

"Basically yeah. I say we dedicate different days to different kinds of studying." 

"What do you mean?" 

"So like today we look at myocardial infarctions and any kinds of diseases and illnesses involving the cardiovascular or cardiorespiratory system and how to diagnose them and different kinds of medication, and then on another day we look at the brain and the nervous system and so on and so forth, just so we don't overwhelm ourselves." 

"Yeah sounds like a good idea," you nodded at him and placed your phone on Do Not Disturb mode so you wouldn't get distracted by notifications, making sure to text the grouch chat that you were studying so not to disturb you. 

"Okay, you ready?" Ben said whilst clicking a pen and starting to write down notes from his laptop. 

"Yep," you said, clicking on your lecture notes and beginning to read through them and making notes in your notebook and adding flashcards. 

And so, the study-thon began. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Rey's first dress choice](https://ae01.alicdn.com/kf/HTB1OvClKr9YBuNjy0Fgq6AxcXXaL/OML526-Front-short-long-back-dark-blue-halter-Bow-Bridesmaid-Dresses-wedding-party-dress-prom-gown.jpg)   
>  [Rey's second dress choice](https://www.dhresource.com/0x0/f2/albu/g8/M01/79/5D/rBVaV1zNpNeAXOy1AASYp1IRZmc011.jpg)
> 
> Readers outfit)  
> [Red criss cross sweater-type shirt](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/c2/e3/3d/c2e33da2a64680dab4d4ce2b3fbe4625.jpg)  
> [Black denim jacket](https://lp2.hm.com/hmgoepprod?set=quality%5B79%5D,source%5B/89/a1/89a132026413d42c051881396cbfdc8534e5565a.jpg%5D,origin%5Bdam%5D,category%5Bladies_jacketscoats_jackets%5D,type%5BDESCRIPTIVESTILLLIFE%5D,res%5Bm%5D,hmver%5B3%5D&call=url%5Bfile:/product/main%5D)  
> [Black ankle boots](https://media2.newlookassets.com/i/newlook/329004701/womens/footwear/boots/black-leather-cut-out-buckle-strap-block-heel-ankle-boots-.jpg?strip=true&qlt=80&w=720)
> 
> Very long chapter I know but I kind of couldn't stop writing? Hope you guys liked it and please leave comments and kudos <3


	10. Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all so much for nearly 200 reads! And for all the comments, kudos and bookmarks, it really means a lot <3

The bass was thumping against the windows, walls and floor, the bar was open, there was a dance floor, and your friends were here. 

And you? 

You were absolutely fucking miserable. 

Yes, your outfit looked great. Yes, your makeup and hair looked bombshell worthy. But parties just weren't your scene. 

Plus, the girls had left you to go and be with Finn and Poe, and you remembered what they had said earlier when you had been getting ready.

\----( _Flashback)_ \----

_"So like what's going on with you and Ben?" Rey asked as she looked up from curling her hair. You look up at her from the mirror where you were applying your makeup, heart fluttering at the mention of your best friend. "Nothing... why?"_

_"You guys just seem to be extra... I don't know, close lately? It's cute." You laugh and finish applying your mascara, playing the wand down and slapping your hands together. You had chosen to wear a pair of black shorts that came to about your mid-thigh and a white crop top, finishing off the look with a leather jacket and some black ankle boots. Your hair was curled, and you had decided to go with a nude eyeshadow look and some nude lipstick._

_Rose came out of the bathroom, finally ready and Rey had just finished applying a final coat of lipstick. She was wearing the gold dress (like both and Rose had advised her), gold and white wedges with a gold and brown smokey eyeshadow look and some nude lipstick._

_Rose had decided with throwing her hair up in a bun and leaving her bangs free whilst opting to wear light-wash blue jeans, a Guns 'n'; Roses band t-shirt that she loved and a black denim jacket. She had decided with the same makeup look as you._

_You all looked party-ready._

_"I think you should give him a couple of signals Y/N," Rey said from where she was doing up her purse and slinging it over her shoulder._

_"Give who signals? Ooooh, who does Y/N like?" Rose said, entering the room with her phone in hand._

_"Ben." Rose looked at you with a gasp and nearly dropped her phone. "YOU LIKE BEN?!"_

_You blushed a little and tucked a piece of your curled hair behind your right ear, picking up your phone with a smile to see a text from no other than, speak of the devil, Ben._

**_Ben (10:21 PM): We're nearly at the party, I assume you're going to be leaving in a minute since you're closer to the party than we are_ **

**_Ben (10:22 PM): I feel stupid and underdressed which I know is also stupid but I'm literally only going to hang out with you_ **

**_Ben (10:22 PM): I don't know if that sounds weird or whatever but I just really like hanging out with you and stuff. Sorry, I'm nervous about the party so I'm kinda rambling_ **

_You chuckled a little as you all started to head out the door, texting Ben back quickly whilst Rey said something in the background about the Uber being here so hurry up._

**_Y/N (10:25 PM): Relax Ben, it's fine. I really like hanging out with you too, it'd be a little weird if we were best friends but didn't like hanging out with each other, wouldn't it?_ **

**_Y/N (10:26 PM): We've just got in the Uber, we'll be there in like 5 minutes, so just sit tight and could you possibly get me a drink of lemonade, please?_ **

**_Ben (10:27 PM): Oh God I thought you were going to hate me for being weird or something. Lemonade is gotten for you so see you in a minute :)_ **

**_Y/N (10:29 PM): Here now. Why would I hate you?_ **

**_Ben (10:30 PM): Good question, think I was just nervous and overthinking. I see you, actually so glad ur here right now tbh_ **

**_Y/N (10:31 PM): I'm glad I'm here too, and I'm glad you're here as well. How much you wanna bet that Poe, Rey, Finn and Rose leave us?_ **

**_Ben (10:32 PM): There is not a bet high enough, it's practically guaranteed since they do it at every party lol_ **

**_Y/N (10:33 PM): Never seen anything more true in my fucking life_ **

\--------

And that's how you ended up here, on a couch with Ben drinking lemonade and trying not to fall asleep on his shoulder. 

"Ben!" You shout over to the music and he looks up from his phone next to you on the couch with a questioning expression. He points at his phone and you quickly catch on that he wants you to text him whatever it is. 

Pulling your phone out of your pocket, you quickly tap the Messages app and swipe on Ben's contact. 

**Y/N (11:47 PM): When you thinking of leaving?**

**Ben (11:48 PM): Definitely soon, I've had enough of this. I'm probably gonna grab another drink and then go home**

**Ben (11:48 PM): Why you wanna come with?**

**Y/N (11:49 PM): Yes fucking please, I've had enough**

**Y/N (11:50 PM): I'm so ready to leave**

**Ben (11:51 PM): Yeah let's just go now**

He stands up and offers you his hand, which you immediately take. He pulls you away from the couch and out into the cold air of the night through the front doors of the house that Brad had decided to have the party at. "God, I think I was actually close to suffocating in there," You say, dramatically drinking in gulps of cool air that helped cool the sweat on your skin. 

You had long ago discarded your jacket onto your arm instead of your shoulders, and you were now starting to get goosebumps from the sudden change in temperature. Noticing that you were shivering, Ben shrugged off his jean jacket and began to place it around your shoulders. 

"Ben I already have a jacket-"

"Your's hasn't been worn for about an hour and a half, it's going to be cold as hell. I've kept mine on, and therefore warmth still exists in it, so it's going to warm you up faster. Logic Y/N." He chuckled a little and finished wrapping it around your shoulders, standing back from you as you shrugged it on properly. He was right, it did feel a lot warmer than what yours would have done. 

"You're going to be such a good doctor you know." 

"What makes you say that Y/N?" 

"Well," you said, beginning to warm and stop shivering, taking a deep breath. "You're incredibly intelligent, you always know how to calm someone down in a stressful situation, you're not irrational and you know how to work in high-pressure situations, and you're logical. You're practically the perfect candidate." 

"You're forgetting one thing though Y/N," he said with a sad smile as he finished booking an Uber on his phone, saying that it would be here in 5 minutes. He had ultimately decided not to drive, saying that it would have been too much of a hassle. 

"And what is that, Solo?"

"My anger." Ah, right. Ben had been diagnosed in his teens with anger issues, stemming mostly from feeling misunderstood by his peers and the adults in his life, specifically his parents and his uncle. He had told you this in college, and you could that it was a hard subject for him to bring up, especially since he had come so far in decreasing how angry he got. 

You stepped towards him, and pulled him into a hug by his waist, wrapping him in tight arms. It took a couple of seconds before he fully reciprocated, and you could feel hot tears falling onto your skin where his head and your neck connected. You gripped him harder, as though trying to pour how much you loved him a friend and even more into the physical gesture, but knowing full well it wasn't enough. 

He pulled back, wiping underneath his eyes with his hand before sniffing and smiling at you. You knew that he had only broken a little of the dam that held back his emotions, but that just meant he would build it back up again and when it blew it would be even worse. Perhaps when you both got home you could convince him to tell you what was wrong? 

As you were thinking about how to go about this situation (one you had been in many times by the way), an Uber pulled up and Ben tapped your shoulder, bringing you out of your haze and signalling that your ride was here. You flashed him a smile, and he opened the door for you (honestly, what a gentleman) and you stepped inside gratefully. It may have only been September, but it was cold when it was nearly midnight. 

Once Ben got inside the cab, he told the driver what your destination was and once the cab started moving, he yawned and thumped his head back against the headrest, turning to look at you with a tired smile. You could tell he was holding back emotions, he did it most of the time to appear strong even you had told him numerous times he didn't have to. Smiling back, you just reached out and took his hand in an innocent and friendly gesture, squeezing it tight. It was something that both of you did when the other was stressed, or upset, or overwhelmed with anything. It was a gesture that said more than words did. It was a gesture that said 'I'm here for you, I care about you, you're not alone'. 

"So, I got my starting date for my internship/work thing at the hospital," you said to him quietly, and his attention focused on you immediately. 

"Really? I got mine too, I'm sorry I forgot to tell you. When does yours start?" 

"What date is it again?" You asked him, knowing that it was a Saturday but too tired to count back the days. 

"Erm, the 12th I think," He pulled out his phone to check the date and nodded affirmatively. "Yep, the 12th." 

"Okay cool, so I start on the 21st, which is a Monday I think but I'll check." 

"I start on the 21st too, which clinic or department are you in?" 

"ER, you?"

His mouth parted with a little gasp as he sat up straighter, still looking at you. "I'm on the ER too, does that mean we're gonna be working together?" 

"I imagine we'll have shifts together yeah." You said with a smile and a light chuckle. His enthusiasm was infectious. Both his and your love for the field of medicine powered what you wanted to do and why you both worked so hard, but it was also a foundation of your friendship and relationship outside of the classroom. You both had so much in common and so many characteristics that were similar that it probably would have been impossible to _not_ bond with each other. You were truly grateful for it. 

The driver pulled outside your apartment and announced you were here, and you both thanked him, saying he should have the bill soon and you would pay him over the app. 

The cold hit you gradually when you got out of the cab (making sure to grab your jacket) due to the donation of Ben's jacket, and it was only a quick walk to your apartment. Once inside your apartment, you yawned and headed straight for the couch, flopping down on it with a sigh of relief. Ben chuckled as he made his way to the couch, imitating the move. 

"I'm so tired and it hurts me to know I have to move." You said with a groan before hoisting yourself up off the couch with another loud groan, stretching your arms above your head. You made a move to go for your room, before stopping and turning to Ben, who was still on the couch with his eyes closed. 

"Shit Ben, I'm sorry, I still have your jacket on, where do you want me to put it?" 

He opened his eyes and smiled at you, chuckling before just pointing to his room and replying in a tired, deep voice. 

"It's fine honestly Y/N, are you alright just to leave it in my room for me? I'll hang it up when I go to bed." 

You nodded and shrugged it off of your shoulders before making your way to your room, stopping outside of it and calling out to him, 

"Goodnight Ben."

"Goodnight Y/N, sleep well." 

You smiled at his response and stepped inside your room. 

After the gruelling routine of taking your makeup off and using your toner and making sure your face was exfoliated properly, you decided to wear shorts and an oversized t-shirt for bed. Before changing, you sent a quick message to the group chat.

**Y/N- To Los Amigos (12:25 AM): Hey guys, me and Ben are at home, if you guys are staying out or going to Rey's place then just let us know. Stay safe!**

Once changing and in the outfit, you lay down and pulled the covers over you, relishing in how big the bed was. 

However, there was a thing that bothered you. 

Without Ben next to you, the bed had never felt so cold and empty. 

And it made it difficult to sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you all liked it! <3


	11. Hypothetically

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's about a months time skip in this, it's nearly Halloween and the gang are all spending it together.  
> Thank you guys for all the comments, kudos and bookmarks, they mean so much to me and motivate me to keep going  
> Enjoy lovelies <3

"Ben where the hell is my laptop?!"

It was a Monday. You had a lecture this morning. And Poe had lost his laptop. 

What a great fucking way to start the week. 

"I don't know Poe, it's YOUR laptop!" Ben yelled throughout the apartment, and it was so loud that it nearly reverberated off your walls. You rolled your eyes at the argument whilst you finished curling your hair, throwing it up in a stylish high ponytail and walking over to your wall mirror to take one last look at how you looked. Deeming your outfit, hair and makeup acceptable, you grabbed your phone, wallet and bag before leaving your room, bumping straight into Ben on your way out. 

"Shit I'm so sorry Ben!" You said to him as he grabbed your shoulders to avoid you falling backwards, cheeks growing red as you became flustered. He just laughed and brushed himself off, steadying you before removing his hands. Your shoulders felt cold immediately. 

"Did Poe manage to find his lap-"

"GOT IT!"

You laugh and lean against your doorframe, looking towards Poe's room as he comes out of, a massive grin on his face and bag shouldered. 

"Well, I guess that answer's my question." You say to Ben as you start to walk down the hall so you could grab a bottle of water before you guys left for class. 

"Where was your laptop, Poe?" You asked as you placed the bottle in the side compartment of your bag, walking to the door so you could grab your keys from the dish.

"Yeah, and why did you think _I_ would have it? Why on earth would I have your laptop?" Ben asked, following you to the door. 

Poe blushed a deep red, presumably from embarrassment, and you chuckled a little. 

"...on my desk, underneath a load of papers." 

You and Ben both laughed, though no maliciously, and it was a few seconds before Poe started laughing as well, albeit still red in the face. 

"C'mon you two we have a class to get to. Ben we alright to get food on the way?"

"Sure." 

You took a quick sip of your water before quickly scribbling down notes that were on the presentation above you as Maz continued speaking. You were halfway through class and you were well into study mode already. _'Maybe I should ask Ben if he wants to head to a cafe or something after class'_ you thought to yourself whilst scribbling down another couple of notes about what Maz was saying. 

Another 45 minutes passed before she dismissed you, and you had filled 4 pages of your notebook, double-sided by the way, with notes just from that one lecture. You were nearly at the end of your notebook. You seriously needed to buy some more before you ran out of paper. 

"Y/N?" 

You turned around quickly to face Poe, who had called your name and drawn you out of your post-class haze. "Yeah?" 

"I was just telling Ben that I'm helping Kaydel catch up on notes, so I'm not going to be home for a couple of hours." You smiled at him and nodded as he left the row to go and catch up with Kaydel, who was waiting at the bottom for him. 

"Y/N?" You turned around to face Ben, who had slung his bag over his shoulder and was checking the time on his phone. 

"Yeah, Ben?" 

"Do you want to go and study and then see a movie?" He said nonchalantly, and you were so surprised that you nearly fell over, blaming it on your heeled boots. 

Now bear in mind, Ben had asked you many times to go and see a movie with him as friends, but never that nonchalantly as if it was no big deal. Because in your eyes, it was a VERY big deal. Then again, you were practically in love with him, so you didn't have of a basis. 

"Err yeah sure, what were you thinking of seeing?" You asked him, pulling out your phone to look at the time, check if you had any notifications, anything to distract you from the blush that you were willing to not creep up your neck. 

"Well there's that new romantic-comedy that's just come out, we could go and see that?" 

"Ben, you hate romantic comedies, usually I have to force them to watch them with me..." 

"Yessss, but you like them and I want to do something nice for you, so do you want to go see it?" 

"Yes, I would love that." You said, double-tucking the hair behind your ears, hoping he didn't notice how red your blush was as you shrugged your leather jacket on and shouldered your bag. 

"Great, it's a date." 

_'It's a date' he had said_ you thought as you both walked to Ben's car. _Surely he didn't mean like a **date** right? Surely he meant it as in a friend date, like a date of the month or week where friends go out together and hang out? Nothing romantic there at all. _

"Y/N? You alright?" Ben's deep voice brought you out of your thoughts, and you snapped your head around in your seat to look at him.

"Mhm, I'm fine."

"So I was thinking we go to a fast food place drive-through or something for lunch and then we can just head straight to the library and we'll pick up snacks on the way to the library and then pick up more snacks on the way to the movie, how does that sound?" 

"That sounds great! Did you text Poe about the plans?" 

He nodded and started the ignition, giving you the aux cord before pulling out of the parking lot and onto the main road. Once you guys had started driving and you had placed some classical music on (sometimes you both just liked to listen to it), he asked where you wanted to go for lunch. 

"Well, we could go for pizza if you're in the mood for that? I know it's not drive-through but it feels like ages since we've just sat down and talked about stuff on our own ya know?"

"No that sounds great actually, I do miss just sitting down and talking with you, we haven't done that in a while. Which pizza place do you want to go?" 

"Well, we have Pizza Hut or Domino's or Papa John's?"

"Pizza Hut?" You both said simultaneously as you looked at each other when Ben stopped at a red light, and you both laughed as you nodded as Ben started to drive to the nearest one. 

"Why is this pizza so good?" You said as you swallowed another bite of your slice. It was so good that your mouth was watering at just the thought of another bite as you sipped your glass of coke and smiled at Ben. 

"So, is there anything, in particular, you want to talk about?" You asked him as you locked your phone from where you had been scrolling through Pinterest and placed it face down on the table. 

"Err yes actually, but I didn't know if mentioning it would be awkward, even though we're best friends." 

"You know you can tell me anything, Ben." 

"So, I don't know where to start exactly..." You stay silent, waiting for him to continue. He takes a deep breath and a sip of his drink before continuing. 

"So, say a person really likes someone, but the person doesn't know that they like them, and they're really good friends, what should the person do?" 

The question is a surprise to you. You don't usually talk about your feelings for other people for one another, even if they are hypothetical. The only times you did that was when you were both going through breakups, and that had only happened a couple of times in the 8 years you had known each other. 

"Well, if it were me, I would find out what the person likes. If they're your friend, you should already have a good idea of that, so I would try and do things that they take notice of that you wouldn't do usually, like hanging out with them more one-on-one or spending more time with them in a casual setting. Does that make sense?"

He sat back in the booth and took another sip of his glass of lemonade before nodding at you. 

"Yes, it does actually. So you think that I- I mean the person, should spend more time with the person they like?" 

You smirked, even though your heart was close to breaking in your chest. "Who do you like Solo?" 

He looked at you surprised, with wide eyes. 

"Me? I don't like anyone. This is a hypothetical situation remember L/N?" 

You laughed with him, the tension easing as you both continued to eat and steer the conversation away from such a heavy topic. He eventually brought up the paper and the test you guys had done weeks ago. 

"Hey, you never told me what you got on that test did you?" 

You blushed immediately, feeling the heat on your cheeks and you tucked your hair behind your ears again. 

"I err... I got a 95." You said nervously, unsure of his reaction. He had told you he had got a 90, which was amazing, but you didn't know how he would react to you scoring better than him. You were pleasantly surprised when he looked at you with wide eyes and nearly spit out his drink, swallowing it quickly and scooting over in the booth to sit next to you, pulling you into a tight hug by the waist. 

When he pulled back, he was beaming at you. 

"Y/N that is amazing! I'm so proud of you sweetheart!" 

"Thanks, Ben, that means a lot. Truthfully I err, I didn't know how you were going to react, I know you got a 90 and that's amazing but I didn't want you to feel as if I was bragging or-" 

"Hey, hey, I would never act any differently to how I just did, especially if you scored higher than me. If they don't act supportive, then they're not a true friend okay?" 

You nodded at him as tears sprang to your eyes. He took his thumb and wiped your cheeks as a couple of them spilt, and brought you into another tight hug.

"You know you're my best friend Y/N?" He said into your shoulder, and you nodded into his, feeling how nice to was to fully hug, such a simple thing yet something that brought you so much joy. Maybe you truly were in love with your best friend? If you were, it certainly did as feel as bad as everyone made it out to be. 

Finishing off your meal and talking about practically everything and anything, you both split the check and decided to forgo dessert, since you would be getting a load of sweet snacks in a couple of minutes on your way to the library. 

"Okay, what is the most common cause of a myocardial infarction?" Ben asked you, and you recalled what you had been told in class and read in your textbook before answering with a screwed up forehead. 

"The rupture of an atherosclerotic plaque on an artery supplying the heart muscle, which can occur in a matter of minutes." 

"Very good," he said, and you had a proud smile on your face as you took a sip of your coke (you swear you lived off that stuff). Ben had been quizzing you for about an hour now, and so far you had gotten most of the questions correct. It was now close to 6 pm, and you guys had been here since 1, but you weren't tired, however, you put that down to the sugar high. 

"Okay, that was the last question. Good job Y/N!" He said brightly as you both high-fived and you stood up to stretch, causing your shirt to rise up a little and show the tiniest bit of your midriff area above your jeans. You didn't see Ben's eyes flick downwards, and you most certainly didn't see him gulp or his Adam's Apple bob, as you were too busy enjoying the burn of the stretch with your eyes closed, trying to prevent a groaning sound come out of your mouth and reverberate around the quiet library. 

"Oh God my body fucking _aches,_ " you whisper-groaned as you sat back down with a thud in your chair, laughing quietly. You started to pack up your stuff as Ben did the same, and when you guys had finally put all your textbooks, supplies and laptops away, you had butterflies in your stomach. 

_It'll be fine Y/N just don't do anything stupid and it will be fine, okay?_ You thought to yourself as you guys made your way down the staircases of the library right down to the bottom floor and exited through the double doors and blinking as the bright light of the golden evening came into view.

"God, why is the library always so dim? My eyes are going to be wrecked by the end of this year. I think I might invest in some glasses you know." 

"You should, I think they'd really suit you Y/N." 

Great, another compliment. You'd have to start keeping track of all the times you tried your hardest not to blush every time one came out of his pretty mouth. 

Great, now you were thinking about his lips. A wonderful way to start the evening, especially as you were about to go to a movie with him. 

The radio played in the car as he drove to the movie theatre, the both of you sitting in comfortable silence. At least, it _felt_ like a comfortable silence, from his end. On your end, your thoughts were racing at about a million miles an hour on How Not To Act Like A Complete Idiot. 

"You know, I always wished as a kid that my first kiss would be at the movies," you blurted out as you pulled up, and you mentally facepalmed as the words came out of your mouth. Really, that was the best you could come up with? 

"Well, it certainly wasn't at the movies as far as I can recall," he said with a chuckle, and your face heated up at the memory of your first kiss. 

No, it certainly hadn't been at the movies. 

It had been at a party. 

In your freshmen year of college. 

During a game of Seven Minutes in Heaven. 

Oh, and it had been with Ben. Could you say oops about catching feelings years later? You didn't think you could. Not that you would want to take any of it back.

"No, it most certainly wasn't," you said softly as you both sat in the car, the silence becoming heavy and almost intangible with another emotion, though you couldn't quite place what it was. 

Finally, you opened the car door of the passenger side and slid out, grabbing your bag and shouldering it. 

"Are you _sure_ you want to see this movie Solo?" You say to him over the car, and he just chuckles and nods his head, locking the car and placing his keys in his pocket. You both walked into the lobby of the theatre and he turned to you with a solemn look on his face. 

"However Y/N, I do have one serious question." 

"Go on..." 

"Nachos or popcorn?" 

"It's like you don't even know me, Ben. Obviously nachos." 

"Obviously nachos." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's heating uppppppp  
> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!


	12. Devils and Dark Angels

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I'm really evil for leaving y'all on a cliffhanger but it was NECESSARY!   
> There is another time skip in this, there's probably going to be a lot throughout this fic, oops.  
> Enjoy lovelies <3

You were typing frantically on your laptop, and surprisingly it was not for class. You were trying to find the perfect Halloween costume, and so far the search had been fruitless, which was starting to stress you out. 

Halloween was one of your favourite holidays in the year, and you'd celebrated it from when you were a kid all the way up to now. However, your... way of celebrating had definitely changed. 

This year, you had all decided to blow off some steam and go to a carnival that was going to be in town on Halloween. Apparently, there was going to be a really scary haunted house there, and you were a massive fan of them, so you were really excited. 

However, the costume search was becoming a problem. 

You wanted to do an original costume, but you had gone to a frat party as a witch last year, so that was off the table. You were more inclined to the dark costumes on Halloween instead of angels and good witches, and then it hit you. 

You could go with someone as a devil and an angel combo. 

The only question was, who? 

Rey was already going with Poe as a couple-costume (they had deliberately kept it a surprise for the weeks leading up to the costume) and Rose and Finn were going as a couple-costume based around the theme of vampires, though apparently they had 'put their own spin' on it, which you were looking forward to seeing. 

This is where not having a boyfriend kinda made you sad. 

If you had a boyfriend, you could have a couple's costume together. You wouldn't be sat here on a Thursday evening after a lecture navigating the entire Internet for a costume. 

_I may not have a boyfriend, but I **do** have a best friend... _You thought to yourself as you pick up your phone and, before you could lose your nerve, shot him a text. 

**Y/N (9:56 PM): Get in here**

**Ben (9:57 PM): Can I have some context first?**

**Y/N (9:58 PM): I need to show you and ask you something.**

Within seconds, you heard a light knock on your door. "Come in!" you yelled, still staring at your laptop screen whilst you were bundled up in blankets above your duvet, with you and the pillows propped against the headboard. You scoot yourself over and pat the space next to you, and wordlessly Ben comes to sit next to you. 

After a couple of minutes, he rests his head on your shoulder to get a better look at the screen. You smiled slightly. 

"So, what is it you wanted to show me?" He said, the baritone rumbles of his voice vibrating through your shoulder. 

"Well, have you managed to find a Halloween costume yet?" He shook his head, the ends of his hair tickling your neck and making you laugh slightly. When he cocked his head in confusion, you turned to him, only to find his face very close to yours. 

"I'm not laughing at you don't worry, your hair is just tickling my skin that's all." You say as a blush starts to form on your cheeks from being in such close proximity with him. 

Feelings really were a bitch sometimes. 

"Well, I had an idea, but it's like a combo/duo costume if you get me?" He nodded again into your shoulder as you typed the suggestion into the search bar. Suddenly it came up with a lot of couple-centred costumes based around the idea, and you nearly had a heart attack from how fast your heart was beating. 

"Okay, that looks good, but I have a better idea." 

"Oh?" You said as he placed his hands lightly over yours in order to take the laptop from you, causing a swooping sensation to occur low in your stomach. He typed something into the search bar that immediately had you interested. 

'Devil and dark angel DIY couple costumes.' 

It came up with many pictures of the duo costume and you realised that, yes, this would be a much better fit for the two of you. You both preferred the darker side of Halloween, so this was perfect. 

"Now, I know these are meant for couples, but fuck that right?" 

"Indeed, fuck that. However, I have one question." 

"Go on." 

"Are you getting a tailored suit, because I really need you to get a tailored suit." 

"Are you getting a tailored dress?"

"Oh, boy, who said I was wearing a dress?" 

It was Halloween. 

Your costume was ready. 

You and Ben were running... a little late. 

"Ben we are a little late," you say to him as he finishes doing up his suit lapels and checked his watch. He had decided to go with some inspiration from the show 'Lucifer' for his costume, so instead of wearing a cheap Halloween costume with horns and tail, he had got a _fucking tailored suit that looked fucking hot as hell._ He smoothed down his tie as you finished your makeup and you both turned around at the same time, gasping as you took in each other's appearance. 

"Y/N you look-"

"Ben, oh my god you look-"

"Gorgeous," He said as you breathed the word 'amazing', and you blushed heavily at the compliment. 

"Ben, stop it." 

"No genuinely, you look fucking stunning." 

"Bennnnn," you whined as you went to cover your face but then realised the copious amounts of eyeliner and mascara you had on that you _could not_ afford to smudge. He chuckled a little as he stepped closer to you. He had decided to put a product in his hair to make it seem more high-street and classy, but you didn't really like it. It wasn't... him.

"Ben come here a minute, please," you said softly as he stepped towards you with a confused expression. You reached your hand up over his hair but looked at his face for permission. When he gave you a slight nod, you gently ran your fingers through his dark locks, and he sighed a little.

You near froze in shock as he closed his eyes and leaned his head back, but continued to run your fingers through his hair.

He whispered your name, and your heart threatened to run out of your throat. 

When you finally pulled your hand back and deemed his hair suitably mussed, his breathing had grown erratic and heavy.

"There, _now_ you look like suitable devil my good sir." 

You didn't know why, but the moment that had just passed between you both felt _extremely_ intimate, and you didn't know how to cope with it. It was as if you both had shared your darkest secrets with each other (something you had both done 3 years ago at the start of medical school). 

"Right, you ready to go?" He said as he cleared his throat and tilted his head forward, his Adam's Apple bobbing as he swallowed heavily. You chuckled a little to ease the weird tension that had settled over the both of you in the last couple of minutes and held up a finger to him, going over to your closet to pull out the last piece of your outfit that would pull it all together. 

Yes. You had gone and bought black wings. 

Retractable black wings, mind you. 

You slung the bands of the black harness over your shoulders and secured it to your outfit, tightening it in front of the large mirror in your room. You flexed your back muscles and gasped when the wings expanded, nearly hitting Ben in the face. You giggled a little and placed your hand over your mouth to prevent any louder sounds escaping your mouth. You flexed your back muscles again and they retracted. 

"Damn Y/N, where'd you get the wings?" 

"I ordered them online, you like them?"

"I think they're fucking awesome, how do they do that?" 

"Well," you said as you walked back across the room to grab your phone so you could place it in your jacket pocket and stood up straight. "Apparently there is this contraction thing so that when it's secured to your back if you flex your back muscles it pulls the contractor so the wings expand, and the same for retraction. Pretty cool right?" 

He nodded, jaw still on the floor at the sight of your (now retracted) wings. "Anyway, we need to leave, like, _now_. So come on Mr Devil, you got all your stuff?" 

He nodded his head as he followed you out of your room and down the hall, where you grabbed your keys from the dish and took one last look around the living room before exiting the apartment. 

The atmosphere of the carnival was amazing. You thrived on the noises and the excitement that was almost tangible in the air, as though emotions were leaking into it. You were glad to have a night off from studying and actually enjoy it. 

"Hey, Y/N, over here!" You heard Rey shout from over by a bench, where she and Rose, Finn and Poe were eating burgers and fries and sipping shakes.

"Woah you guy look amazing!" Rose said from where she was sat beside Finn. 

"Thanks, Rose, you look great too!" You said to her with a smile as you sat down beside Rey, Ben sitting in between you and Finn. Everyone did a double-take once they saw Ben's outfit and they all gasped while you chuckled at their reactions. 

"Damn Ben you're gonna be one hell of a ladykiller tonight!" Poe cheered as he took another bite out of his burger next to Rey. You took in both of their costumes. 

"Guys, your costumes are so cool. Serial killer couple?" 

"Yeah, me and Poe wanted to go with something scary but also something that looked kinda cool at the same time. However, do you know how hard it is to find a gallon of fake blood in Halloween stores?" Rey said to you and she shook her head and sipped her shake. You look around the carnival for another food vendor and your stomach growled when you spotted one a couple of metres away. 

You leant up to Ben's ear and whispered to him, 

"I'm gonna go get some food, do you wanna stay here or come with?" 

He stood up, so you took his answer as wanting to come with you, and you turned around to face Rey. "Why did you need a gallon of blood anyway? Tell me when I get back though because me and Ben are going to get some food."

"Okay, see you in a minute!" 

You waved to her and the rest of the group before standing up and starting to walk with Ben towards the food truck, taking in the atmosphere of the carnival around you. Once you reached the food truck, you scanned the menu quickly before deciding on what you wanted. 

"I'm gonna get a burger, fries and a chocolate shake, what do you want?" 

"I think I might just get cheesy fries, let me pay though." He said, taking out his wallet before you grabbed his hand and stopped him with a smile. 

"Ben, no. You paid for the movie last week and most of the times we've been out, let me treat you for once," you said. He went to protest but before he could you had already stepped up to the counter and ordered your food. Before you paid, you turned back around to ask Ben if he wanted anything to drink. 

"If you don't mind, a can of coke would be great." 

"Nothing else?" 

"Nope, that's it." You repeated what he wanted back to the server and smiled brightly when you paid and were presented with cartons of steaming food, freshly done and hot. You said your thanks and stepped down from the counter, from where Ben was staring off into the distance. You snapped your fingers and he came out of his daze with a start, stumbling slightly before righting himself. 

"Ben, are you mad at me?" 

"What?! No, of course not!" You breathed a sigh of relief as you walked back to the bench, and as you sat down in your places again you pulled out your phone. 

**Y/N (8:32 PM): I didn't know if you would be mad at me for paying :(**

You saw Ben take out his phone and read over the message, shooting you a confused look before replying quickly. 

**Ben (8:33 PM): No of course not sweetheart, I don't think I could ever be mad at you, okay?**

**Y/N (8:34 PM): Oh thank fucking god**

**Ben (8:35 PM): Are you still struggling with... that?**

**Y/N (8:36 PM): Wdym?**

You saw the three dots pop up and disappear multiple times before you got a reply.

**Ben (8:40 PM): Ya know, the trust issues and anxiety stuff you had after breaking up with him?**

**Y/N (8:41 PM): Oh... that. Yeah, it crops up from time to time, I think it's usually when I'm overthinking.**

**Ben (8:42 PM): Right I'm gonna do something and I don't give a shit about what anyone here says okay?**

**Y/N (8:43 PM): Go for it**

You see him pocket his phone in the inside of his blazer before wrapping his arm around your waist and pulling you into his. You gasp quietly at the weight and warmth of his arm, even through the shirt and blazer, on your skin, and the rest of the group stop their conversations. Before they can make a judgement on what is happening in front of them, Ben holds up a hand and speaks first. 

"Do not say a word." He said evenly and you smile as you make eye contact with Rey. Her expression is part-surprise and part-'I'm going to explode from excitement'. You motion to your phone, and she digs hers quickly out of her jacket pocket. After a few minutes, you feel a notification come through. You quickly unlock your phone whilst Ben is talking to Finn. 

**Rey (9:02 PM): GIRLLLLLLL**

**Y/N (9:03 PM): It took you 5 minutes to write 'GIRLLLLLLL'?**

**Rey (9:04 PM): I was waiting for my body to absorb my excitement before I could function**

**Y/N (9:05 PM): That is... that is not how that works**

**Rey (9:06 PM): Anyway, are you guys like a thing now?**

**Y/N (9:06 PM): No! If we were you would know**

**Rey (9:07 PM): Idk, secret relationships are a thing**

You pocket your phone and shake your head at her, tapping Ben on the arm. He turns his head to you with an inquisitive hum. 

"It's nearly 9:10, wanna head to the haunted house?" 

"Oh yeah sure, you guys ready to go?" They all nodded, picking up their rubbish and throwing it in the bin next to the bench and picking up their belongings. You stood up after Ben had unwound his arm from around your waist, immediately missing the warmth, comfort and security he had provided. You stood up, and stretched your back, only remembering a split second later what you were wearing. 

Your wings expanded and you stepped back quickly, joining Ben in on laughing as you took in the rest of the group's surprised expressions. 

"Y/N, are you a fucking DEVIL OR SOME SHIT?" You laugh harder at Poe's exclaimed statement and you grab onto Ben's shoulder in order to not fall over and keep yourself upright. When you finally stop laughing and catch your breath, you stand upright fully and look at Poe, who is still gaping. 

"They're retractable wings Poe, relax. I'm not a supernatural creature who has kept her hidden identity from you for the past 8 years I've known you." 

You turn around and flex your back again, the entire group (bar Ben because he had seen it before) gasping and letting out murmurs of surprise as the wings retract. You turn back around to face them. "Pretty cool right?" 

They all nodded, still processing what they had just seen. You chuckled a little and grabbed Ben's arm as you started to walk in the direction of the haunted house, chuckling with each other and listening to the rapid footsteps of the group running up behind you to catch up. 

Once you had reached the haunted house, you were pleasantly surprised to find that line was, in fact, very short. You put it down to the fact that it was still pretty early, and most of the people would come later on in order to amp up the 'scare-factor'. Rey, Rose, Finn and Poe had decided to go in front of you, and the couples were holding each other's hand. 

All of a sudden, you felt Ben grasp your hand tightly. 

"If you tell anybody I said this I will deny it until the end of my days, but I kind of hate haunted houses." He whispered to you, and you chuckled. Every year, Ben would say that he had gotten over his fear of haunted houses and jumpscares when in reality it just came back to bite him in the ass every time he said it. You squeezed his hand tightly and whispered back to him, 

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me Ben," you said with a small chuckle, and he grinned at you. 

"Guys we're about to go in, you ready?" Rose called from in front of you, and you nodded your head and grinned at her before turning to face Ben again. 

"Ready?" 

He took a deep breath and squeezed your hand again. 

"Ready."

"Okay, was that as bad as you thought?" You said to him as you ran out of the exit, covered in sweat with your leather jacket feeling heavy on your body, your wings furling outwards as you stretch your back. Ben bent over with his hands on his knees, gasping in lungfuls of air as he tried to catch his breath. When he looked up at you, tears were in his eyes, and his voice was hoarse when he spoke. 

"Yes, yes it was, why do I put myself through it every year?" 

"That is a question I ask myself every year and will probably continue to ask myself for as long as I know you." 

He chuckles a little, but it comes out as a breathy noise that has your skin feeling too tight for your body. 

You wanted to scream at your brain. Unfortunately, you could not. 

"I'm gonna text Poe and that, ready to go home?" 

He nodded vigorously and you walked over to him, helping him stand up straight and wiping away the few tears that had escaped his eyes with your thumb. You hand lingered on his face perhaps a _little_ longer than it should have done, but you supposed he didn't notice since he didn't say anything. 

"Hey, it's alright," you said to him softly as he smiled at you, bringing his hand up to cover yours, causing butterflies to erupt inside your stomach. He pulled away after a few seconds, and you both started the walk to Ben's car as you quickly texted Rey. 

**Y/N (10:31 PM): That took so long! Anyway, me and Ben are out now, we're heading home, see you soon :)**

**Rey (10:32 PM): Ugh we're still in here but I think we're near the end, we'll see you later on during the week, Poe's staying at my place but he said he'll be okay for the lecture tomorrow :)**

**Y/N (10:33 PM): Cool :)**

"Poe's staying at Rey's place, so we have the place to ourselves again." You said to Ben as you fell into step next to him, approaching Ben's car. 

"Okay, cool that's fine. Do you want to finish up those final lecture notes from today together?" He said as you stood next to the car. 

"Yeah sure," you nodded as you went to open the car door before you heard Ben chuckling behind you. You turned around, smiling at him. 

"What?" 

"You might want to retract your _wings_ sweetheart." 

"Oh shit yeah!" You exclaim as you flex your back so that the wings retract. You chuckled as you actually managed to fit in the car this time and when Ben got in the car he saw you loosening the harness around your back and pulling it off, breathing a sigh of relief as the pressure around your shoulders and rib-cage was lifted. 

"Uncomfortable?" He asked with a smirk, and you just laughed and playfully smacked him in the arm. As he put the key in the ignition, you turned up the radio, ready to start the 20-minute drive home. 

"Right I'm gonna head to bed since I've finished those notes, I suppose you're staying up?" You asked him through a yawn, and he nodded his head, looking up at you from his laptop with his glasses on the end of his nose. You always found that when he wore glasses he looked really cute? Or maybe you were just so infatuated with him that he always looked cute. You didn't know. You also didn't care. 

"Well don't go to bed too late please, we still have class tomorrow." You said with a smile before starting to pack up your stuff into your bag, slinging it over your shoulder and saying a quiet 'goodnight' to him before grabbing your phone and padding quietly down the corridor to your room, opening the door and slipping inside before shutting it with a soft click. 

Thank god you had decided to take off your makeup, put on sleep clothes and brushed your teeth earlier, right now you just wanted to fall into bed and stay there for at least a day. It was currently 11:30 PM and you were extremely tired. You turned the light off after running a brush through your hair so it didn't become matted and placed your phone on your nightstand after laying down before turning over and getting comfortable, falling asleep quickly. 

You were awoken by a knocking from your door. A few minutes went by before the tentative knocking sounded again, and you were confused but curious none the less as you slipped out of bed and went over to the door, opening it a crack only to see a very unexpected person there. 

Ben. 

You grabbed his arm and pulled him into your room and shut the door softly. You went to go and sit on the bed, turning on the bedside lamp as you did, illuminating the room in a soft, golden glow. You faced him, motioning for him to come and sit down next to you, the bed creaking slightly under his frame as he did so. 

"Nightmares?" you asked him softly, leaning your head on his shoulder, his head tilting to the side to lean on yours. This happened almost every year, however he always swore he was okay to go visit the haunted houses. Maybe you were being a bad friend by not recognising his fears. You would have to take more care to do that in the future. 

"Yeah," he whispered, and you grabbed his large hand with your small one, the size difference large but soothing to you both. You knew that in times like this close contact with the people he cared about and who cared about him was the best thing, it made him feel safe, which was what was important. 

You moved behind him, hugging him from behind, wrapping your arms around his waist and placing your head on his shoulder in the new position you were in. It felt nice, to be like this with him. Just sitting in comfortable silence. 

"Do you want to stay here?" You whispered in his ear as he gently nodded his head. You slowly unwound your arms from around him and got underneath the duvet and gesturing for him to do the same as you turned out the light. He lay tense underneath the duvet, eyes open wide and staring at the ceiling. 

"Ben."

"Yeah?" He whispered back in a hesitant reply, as though afraid to speak out into the dark. 

"Come here," you said to him as you held out your arms. He moved across the bed, the frame creaking until he was next to you, instantly more at ease as his shoulders relaxed and the tension in his body melted away. You wrapped your arms around him and laid your head on his chest, feeling sleepy and warm, but not before asking him,

"Is this okay?" 

"Yeah. Yeah, it is," he murmured back into the air, before speaking again. 

"Thank you so much," he said, and his voice cracked a little. 

"You're welcome, but there's no need to thank me, okay? I'll always be here for you, don't ever forget that," you whispered to him as he started to fall asleep.

"Okay, and the same goes for you, you know?" 

"I know, goodnight Ben," you said quietly, feeling sleep start to take over your body. 

"Goodnight Y/N," and that was the last thing you heard him mutter sleepily before his chest started to rise and fall in a rhythmic pattern, signifying he had fallen asleep, and you thought to yourself. 

Even if feelings were not apart of one side of the equation, maybe they weren't so bad. 

Maybe feelings weren't a bitch if it made you capable of making sure you're best friend was okay. 

Maybe feelings weren't a bitch for making you feel so in love. 

Maybe...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Goddamn, that was a long chapter but worth it for build-up :) Also I think I'm a sucker for angst and fluff? 
> 
> Reader's Halloween Costume)  
> [Reader's top](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a4/7f/5f/a47f5f0067716d2affc5272ac606aab2.jpg)  
> OR   
> [Reader's other choice of top](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71uYqjLrbhL._UX679_.jpg)  
> [Reader's jeans](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/70/aa/7a/70aa7aeca5c01ecb0a64d8fba65bf7eb.jpg)  
> [Reader's leather jacket](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/61NllrFdSxL._AC_UY445_.jpg)  
> [Reader's boots](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0204/1600/products/boots-edge-of-life-boots-black-1.jpg?v=1572884075)  
> [Reader's wings, as a reference](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/75/f9/59/75f959bff5c336f550be626a01c35007.jpg)  
> You guys can choose the hair and makeup style, however, please do note that her hair is curled in this so yeah. 
> 
> Ben's suit)  
> [His suit](https://www3.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Burn+This+Opening+Night+-64zJ2jV578x.jpg)
> 
> Hope you guys liked this chapter, it took a lot of work and nitpicking for the right outfit so yeah


	13. Confessions

You awoke to the exquisite view of golden sunlight streaming through your window, illuminating the room. Everything looked heavenly and beautiful, and that is how you also felt. You felt warm, safe, secure. 

Whilst you slept cuddled up and comfortably in your best friends arms. 

It only took a couple of minutes for the situation to fully descend upon your (not yet fully functioning) brain cells, and you almost had panic mode set in as you bolted upright before trying to take a couple of deep breaths to calm yourself down. "Oh shit, _oh shit,_ " you murmured to yourself, putting a hand on your forehead as you tried to sort out your chaotic feelings. 

"Y/N? Are you okay sweetheart?" You heard Ben's hoarse and deep voice from sleep behind you, and you nearly jumped out of the bed in shock. "Woah woah woah, what's going on? Y/N, talk to me." He said gently, moving closer to you and placing a large, warm hand on your back, rubbing soothing circles and random shapes onto it in order to help calm you. 

You took some more deep breaths, feeling your heart rate beginning to decrease, and you felt the sudden urge to cry. You didn't know why, but you were just so sick of holding it all in. You didn't want to hide how you feel, it just felt like if you told him you'd lose him, and you couldn't live with that. 

"Tell who what? What do you mean how you feel? Lose who?" 

Your head snapped up to look at the wall with wide, shocked eyes. Oh shit. You'd just said all of that out loud. 

"I, err, I can explain I promise." 

"It's okay sweetheart, just talk to me, you know I would never judge you, I'm always here for you."

You felt a small tear leak out of the corner of your eye as you looked at him with a sad smile, leaning into his embrace for a couple of moment before pulling back and turning yourself around so you could face him. You took a deep breath. 

"Okay, I'm going to tell you something."

"Okay..."

"And when I do, you're not allowed to judge me for it, okay? Because this is very difficult for me and not how I wanted it to go but it feels right to tell you now instead of later on." 

He cocked his head in confusion, but nodded his head and stayed silent as he waited for you to tell him. 

You took another deep breath, steeling your nerves for the shitshow you were about to bring onto yourself. 

"Ben, I have feelings for you. And I don't mean like feelings where I'm like 'oh he's cute' or 'yeah I'd get with him', I mean feelings as in 'I love this man and he's my best friend and I want to be with him all the time'. And it's difficult for me to say this because you're my _best fucking friend_ and this wasn't supposed to happen, I wasn't supposed to fall in love with you, but it happened I guess, and I'm not complaining at all, but I'm sick of keeping it to myself because it is _killing me right now_."

He stared at you, mouth slightly parted as his eyes widened as you finished the end of your confession, and your chest constricted tightly as you waited for his reaction, slowly drawing away from him as the seconds ticked by and turned into minutes. 

"Okay, so thanks for letting me tell you. I'm just going to go because now this is _super_ awkward so bye-bye." You said as you went to move out of the bed before he shook his head and grabbed your wrist, halting you in your movements. ]

"...You love me?" He whispered, and at that moment all you could see was a vulnerable young man who wanted to be accepted and loved by the people around him. You nodded and found yourself drawing closer to him, unknown feelings of the scales tipping between hope and rejection tingling beneath your skin. 

"Are you sure?" He said, and you just cocked your head at him, smiling. 

"Did you just ask me if I'm sure about loving you?" 

"...Maybe." 

You laughed lightly, and the tension in the air decreased. 

"So... are you?" 

"Yes, I am sure about loving you, Ben." 

"Well then, I suppose it's okay for me to finally do this then," he said softly as he placed a hand on your cheek and guided your forward so your lips could meet. 

And it was the greatest experience of your fucking life. 

The kiss started out gentle, all raw emotions and still being hesitant. And then you and Ben sank into the feeling a little more. 

And it got a little... rough. 

Your hands tugged at the bottom of the white sleeping shirt he had on, and he got the hint as he pulled away for a split-second in order to tear it off over his head before he went back to kissing you, mouths creating a fiery routine of passion. 

Your hands made their way up his chest and found their place around his neck as the kiss started heating up. "Ben," you gasped as he slipped his tongue into your mouth and you reciprocated, your mouths dancing with one another as the sunlight hit the both of you. 

You bit his bottom lip and he groaned a little as your fingers wound themselves into his hair, pulling slightly as your bodies moved closer to one another. "Ben," you murmured again as it turned into a gasp as his lips moved down to your neck for a split second before pulling up so he could look at you. 

You were both panting, wrecked from a make-out. You were both flushed, chests rising heavily with each breath as you looked at each other with a fire in your eyes and a sheen of sweat decorating your skin. You wanted more, you wanted _so much more_. But that would have to wait for later. 

"What's wrong? Did I do something?" Ben said, still panting heavily. You shook your head, catching your breath and beginning to come down from the drunk high his lips had given to you. You spoke shakily, 

"I think we need to lay down some... not boundaries per se, but just some guidelines so we know where we are with each other." 

"You mean besides from the fact that we just made out?" 

You blushed a little, feeling your cheeks heating up and you were unable to stop your smile etching itself onto your lips. You chuckled as he grinned at you, chest still moving heavily.

"Yes, besides the fact that we just made out. I don't want the other guys, _especially_ Poe, to know about... us." 

"Ahhh, so there IS an 'us' now hmm?" Ben said with a smirk as he brought you closer by the waist, causing you to giggle slightly and hit his chest. 

"If you want there to be...?" 

He kissed you again, albeit slower and softer this time, and pulled away to rest his forehead on yours. "I think that's enough of an answer, don't you agree?"

"Mhm, I do." You said softly, unable to stop yourself from smiling as you just looked at this perfect man before you. 

"So what I'm gonna do is go and get dressed, and then I'm going to take us out for breakfast, how does that sound?" He said softly, caressing your cheek with a calloused hand.

"Perfect." You said as you stood up as he did as well, stretching your muscles and smiling out the window. 

Today was going to be a good day. 

"So, what are these 'guidelines'?" Ben said with a smirk as you sipped your coffee and unfolded the paper from around your muffin delicately. You took another sip before replying to him. 

"I think we should have a couple of rules, just so we don't rush things, you know?" He nodded, agreeing with you and waved a hand for you to continue. 

"1) We don't tell anyone, and I mean _anyone_ about what we are doing until we figure this out between us."

"Okay, I agree with that one." 

"2) Shall we say no PDA?"

He nodded, swallowing his coffee before replying. "Yeah I'm not really into the 'grabbing ass in public' thing, however, I do have one request."

You raised your eyebrows in surprise, before nodding at him to continue. 

"Can I at least hold your hand underneath the table, even when we're with friends. I don't want to be away from you Y/N, not when I've only just got you." 

You smile and blush at the thought of how in love you were with this man, and you nodded at him vigorously. 

"Yes, of course, you can. I would love nothing more than to do that." 

He grinned at you as you chuckled lightly, just happy to be here with him. 

"Any more rules?"

"Nah I think that's good, if anything else comes up we'll just talk about it right?" 

"Yeah of course. Y/N?"

"Yeah?" You say as you pull out your phone, ready to create a new note. 

"I love you, sweetheart." 

You look up at him with wide eyes, heart starting to hammer at the confession as your lips break into a smile that fully reached your eyes and probably crinkled your concealer, but right then you didn't care.

"I love you too Ben, I always will." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DANG!  
> I know its really short but I needed to write this and update.  
> I hope you enjoyed lovelies <3


	14. Let's Do It Then

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so glad you guys are liking this fic. I know it's been a couple of days since I updated but I've been busy working on other one-shots that were requested on my Tumblr.   
> Enjoy lovelies, and don't forget to leave kudos, comments and also to bookmark <3

"God I hate this so much," you muttered to yourself as you deleted the paragraph you had been working on,  _ for the 5th time in a row _ , and tried to start again from another point of view. For the end of the semester, Maz had asked for a 10-page paper on myocardial infarctions, what causes them, how to prevent one and how to diagnose whether a person is at risk of having one. It was an interesting topic, you had enjoyed learning about it especially since you wanted to become a cardiologist, but it was still difficult to write a 10-page paper, with a first and final outline and draft, polished, in 6 days. 

A knock sounded on your door just as you took a sip of your fourth cup of coffee (it was 3 pm, and it was dark out, this was why you loved winter) and you swallowed it quickly and shouted out a 'come in!' before returning your eyes to your laptop screen in front of you, reading the paragraph and typing furiously in order to edit a sentence that didn't sound correct. 

"You good there?" came a deep voice from your bedroom door and when you looked up, you saw Ben. Looking hot as hell, whilst you were wrapped up in leggings, a sweater, fuzzy socks and many, many blankets. 

You nodded and sighed, taking your glasses off and rubbing your temples before taking the laptop off of your lap and placing it next to you, deciding you needed a break since you had been working for 2 hours straight on the  _ same fucking paragraph _ . 

You felt the bed shift underneath Ben's weight as he sat down at the end of your bed, his own glasses perched on his face whilst he regarded you with an empathetic look. "You sure?" 

"Yeah, just this paper is killing me, I'm on the final draft but it's due in 2 days and I don't know whether I'm going to get it done in time."

He stood up and came over to you, motioning for you to move over to the other side of the bed so he could sit down. As you did, he sat himself down and threw an arm around your shoulders, kissing the top of your head as you snuggled into him. 

Ah yes, you and Ben. 

You see, since you both confessed for having feelings for one another and had been involved in a passionate makeout (which  _ definitely  _ didn't include Ben taking his shirt off), you had both decided to keep things on the low-key side and not pursue anything together yet. It was a smart decision made by the both of you. You both still had a year to get through, as well as residency after graduation and not to mention the fact that you were working at the same hospital, and you guys didn't want to make things awkward between each other if you broke up before you saw the year through. 

However, there were small times that you shared together that couldn't be considered platonic unless you were really reaching or just plain blind. The small kisses on the head when you were sad, or the kisses on his hands when you held them when he felt like he couldn't get through the year, or hell even the day. The hugs that lasted way too long when you both had to leave each other, even for a few hours. 

It was getting difficult to hold yourself together though. 

You wanted to be with him, and even though you knew it was logical and rational to follow the rules you had both set down together, you wanted to be with him. All the time, in a romantic way. You wanted to be able to walk down the streets and hold his hand in public. You wanted to be able to kiss him goodbye even when Poe was there when you had to leave for work or when you were going out. You wanted all of it with him. 

"What are you thinking about in that pretty little head of yours, darling?" He murmured deeply and softly into your ear, and you shivered as sparks went down your spine from the new pet name. It was something that he had just recently started saying, definitely an upgrade from  _ sweetheart,  _ and it made you feel warm inside and butterflies erupt in your stomach. 

"Just about us," you said softly as you took his hand in yours and rested it on your stomach. His hand absentmindedly came up to play with the tendrils of hair that were falling over your shoulder, and you smiled. This felt almost domestic and like it was meant to be this way. And it made your heart ache more that you would have to wait to have it. 

But as your mother would always say to you, " _ Good things come to those who wait _ "

"What about us?"

"About how we have to wait the whole year out."

"And...?"

You turned your head up to face him, where he was looking at you expectantly, waiting patiently for your answer. 

"I don't think I'm gonna be able to get through the rest of the year, I don't want to wait anymore and it's only been around 2 months since we did... that." 

You felt him kiss your jaw and your eyes fluttered closed, enjoying the feeling of having him near you. 

"You mean since we kissed?" He murmured deeply in your ear, and you sighed against him as he pressed a slow kiss to your neck, just below your ear. 

"Yes, since we kissed. I want to do it again, I want to do it again  _ so badly _ ." You say to him as you turn around to look at him, a flush covering your cheeks and neck. 

"And who says we can't?"

"We said we can't, at least not until after graduation." 

"I do believe we only said that we couldn't be a couple until after graduation. You can still kiss someone and not be couple can't you?" 

"Yes, but kissing you makes me want us to be a couple and-" 

"So let's do it then," he whispers to you as he captures your lips with his own, tasting of mint and chocolate, sweetly and softly moving against your mouth in a way that fogged out the rest of the world, made everything else dull and everything between the two of you bright. When he pulled away and kissed the shell of your ear again, you were pretty sure you were the colour of a tomato. 

"Do what?" You said breathlessly, panting slightly as he continued his ministrations. 

"Be a couple. No one has to know, only us, but we could do it, but only if you wanted to, I don't want to push you." 

You turn to face him properly, causing him to pull away from you forcing you to suppress a groan deep in your throat. 

"Do you mean like a... secret relationship?" You ask him, confused but also leaning into the idea. 

He nods his head and explains the idea to you. 

"Yeah, so like to the public eye and the view of our friends, we would still be just 'us', best friends and all that jazz, but to the both of us only we would be a couple. No one would know except us and we would only tell people, again only if we wanted to, after graduation, and if they ask how long we've been together we just say that it was a couple of days before graduation." 

You cocked your head to the side, contemplating the idea. On the one hand, it was risky, you both could get found out and it could mess with the friend group. 

On the other hand, you wanted to be with him. You wanted to be with him so much it hurt you sometimes. And he wanted to be with you. What else was there to consider?

You leaned up so your lips ghosted the side of his neck and continued upwards until you could whisper one word into his ear,

"Okay." 

He looks down at you with wide eyes, and his face breaks out into a toothy grin, causing dimples to appear on his face, making him even more adorable. 

"Really?" He whispers, and you nod your head, your own face breaking into a wide smile. 

"Really, I want to be with you, and I don't want to wait." 

"Thank fuck, I love you so much and I didn't know if I could stand it any more." 

"Stand what?" 

"Not being near you in the way I want to be all the time. Holding you in a way that isn't platonic, taking you on trips, taking you to meet my family and finally introducing you as my girlfriend instead of having to say 'she's just a friend, mom' because every I would say that, it would kill me a little bit." 

You laugh a little as you peck him on the lips again and smile, snuggling against his chest while his hand found its way into your hair, stroking it. 

"However, I did come in here to ask you something." 

"Oh good lord, what?" Your lips quirk up at the corners. 

"You know because you've been held hostage by yourself in your own room for 3 days?" 

You try to find an argument but eventually come up with nothing, nodding your head. 

"Well, I and Poe take our job very seriously, me as your now bo- I mean, er, significant other, and Poe as your friend to make sure you don't die from writing papers. So I and the group decided that we were all going to meet up and work on our papers together, that way there's not as much pressure, sound good?" 

"Yes, that sounds fucking great, to be honest, I really need to get out of the house, can I shower first?" 

"Yeah, what time is it?" 

You pull your laptop towards you and glance at the time. 3:32 PM

"3:32 PM." 

"Yeah you have time, we're meeting them at 5 though, so just make sure to keep an eye on what time it is, okay?" 

You nod as you get out of bed, cracking your back with a groan as you stretch dramatically before walking over to your closet and pulling out jeans, a purple shirt with criss-cross backing and your black denim jacket. 

Folding them into a pile, you look over to where Ben is on his phone, reading an article with his glasses on. You figured that he must have kept them in his pocket. 

"Taking a shower now, okay?" 

"Okay sweetheart, do you want me to go so you can get changed or?"

"Nah, I'll change in the bathroom it's fine, are you changing or anything?" You ask him whilst grabbing a hair tie from your desk and taking your glasses off, throwing them onto the bed. 

"Nope got changed before I came in here, now go so we aren't late." You roll your eyes at him and laugh as you walk towards the door but pull back for a second before you open it. 

"Ben?" 

"Hmm?" He looked up at you. 

"You know earlier, when you said significant other, what were you going to say before you changed your mind?" 

A flush made its way up to his neck and face that would have rivalled the speed of the Flash, and you held in a laugh at how adorable he was when he was flustered. 

"I, er, I-"

"Were you going to say you were my boyfriend?" 

"...Maybe, but I didn't know if you wanted stupid labels or anything so I changed it." 

"Ben, why would it bother me if you called yourself my boyfriend?" 

He shrugged and looked away, the tips of his ears becoming so red that they looked like they were going to be set on fire all by themselves. You walked over slowly to where he was, placing the clothes down on the end of your bed before walking up to him. 

You grabbed the back of his neck and bent down so you could you pull him into a searing kiss, one that you wanted to last longer, but alas, you had plans to get to. When you pulled away, his eyes were wide and he was grinning. 

"Would you like to be my boyfriend Ben?" 

"How is that even a question Y/N? Obviously I want to be your boyfriend, I just didn't know if that's what-"

"Ben, of course, I want you to be my boyfriend, you don't even know how long I've wanted that." You said before placing another peck on his lips before grabbing your clothes again, but not before Ben shouts out, 

"Wait!"

You turn around to face him with a smile. 

"Yeah?" 

"Does this mean you're my girlfriend?"

"I would assume so Solo." 

You turn around to finally open the door, but not before he says your name again, to which you turn around to where he is holding up his and your phone's. 

"Does this mean I can change the emojis in our contacts?" 

"Do you feel the burning need to do that?" 

"Yes, I do. It is a burning need." 

"Then yes, you may change the emojis in our contacts." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [ Purple shirt](https://gloimg.drlcdn.com/L/pdm-product-pic/Clothing/2018/01/19/source-img/20180119144554_35540.jpg)


	15. Kylo and Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another update! I'm hoping to have this done soon but there are still about 5 chapters to go and I don't know where I want to end it yet (my fault for not planning an outline).  
> Anyway, thank you for all the comments, kudos and bookmarks as well as reads, it really means a lot to me.  
> Enjoy lovelies <3

An hour later and you were ready, clad in black jeans, a purple t-shirt, leather jacket and black ankle boots. Your hair had been blow-dried and curled after the shower, and you had put on some light makeup. You felt fresh and looked like a boss. 

You were just touching up your hair and deciding whether to put it in a ponytail or a bun when you heard a knock on your door. "Come in!" You called out, not looking away from the mirror and seeing Ben enter the room. As you stood up to turn around and greet him, his mouth parted and his pupils dilated as he looked at you, causing you to smile. 

"Hi," you said, grabbing your phone from your desk and placing it in your pocket and moving around the side of the bed to grab your bag, grabbing your laptop and shutting it so you could place it in your bag. 

"Hi, yourself." He said breathily, and you made a conscious effort not to blush at his reactions, though it confirmed your thoughts that you looked good. 

"Do I look alright?" Slinging your backpack up onto your back you looked at him again. 

"You look incredible, but then again you always do darling." 

"You flatter me too much Ben." You said with a blush as you pointed to the door before something crossed your mind. 

"Wait, where's Poe?" 

"Met up with them all about a couple of hours ago remember?" 

Oh yeah. Poe had said something a couple of days earlier that due to the fact that he had passed the final test in class for the semester that he, Rey, Finn and Rose would be celebrating. Clearly you had forgotten with all that had been going on. 

"So how come we're meeting up with them?" 

"Well, their plans ended about an hour and a half ago and so they went to the First Order cafe in order to get some work done and they texted me and asked if we wanted to go." 

"Ah right okay," you said as you walked down the hallway of the apartment and grabbed your keys from the dish before exiting the apartment. As you made your way down to Ben's car, you talked about random things such as how his paper was going and what he was thinking of the hospital shifts until you entered the car, grabbing the aux cord as he slid in beside you. 

"However, Ben, I do have an extremely important question." 

"Yes, we can stop off at the store on the way and get snacks."

"I fucking love you."

"I know darling. I love you too." 

"Do you want Jolly Ranchers or sour candy? Or Haribo?" You say to him as you both look at the candy aisle, unsure what to pick up. You preferred to get snacks on the way to places because it was usually cheaper and although you loved the First Order cafe, it was a bit pricey, even with your employee discount. 

"I'm kinda craving Haribo, I'm not gonna lie," Ben said as he crouched down to look at the selection that the stand was displaying. You crouched down beside him, and picked up 2 bags of Haribo, along with a box of Milk Duds. Standing back up, you went over to the stand on the other side of the aisle and picked up a 1.5L bottle of Pepsi Max, and turned back around to present your finds to Ben, who was still crouched down. You coughed to get his attention and he looked at you, standing up with a smile. 

"You get enough?" He said with a teasing lilt and you just rolled your eyes and smiled. 

"Yep, we can ask for glasses for the drink at the cafe, you ready?" 

He nodded and turned back around, snatching a couple of bags and boxes of candy off of the hooks of the stand and turning back around, presenting them to you. He had chosen original Oreos, a bag of crispy M&M's and a bag of original Skittles. 

"You ready?" He said, coming over to your side of the aisle to stand next to you. 

"Hold on, I just wanna grab a bag of chips first, you want Lays?" 

"Yeah sure, original?"

"Yep, hold on a sec." 

You sped round to the other aisle and scanned it quickly for the classic yellow package and spotting your prize, rapidly grabbing it off the shelf before retreating back round to the other aisle where Ben was standing. You held up the bag and he smiled, motioning for you to pass him and head on to the counter. 

"Okay, why does it feel like it has been years since I've seen the outside world when I literally go to classes every day?" You said in bewilderment with a laugh as you stepped out of the car, making sure to unplug your phone from the aux cord and slinging it onto your back, closing the car door gently and looking over to Ben as he also got out of the car. 

"Because for us, classes don't count as the outside world, and you've only been to work twice this week because you had to take time off to cover this paper, so you technically haven't seen the outside world." 

Ben smiled as he went around to the trunk, popping it and grabbing his bag before pulling it shut and coming around to stand next to you, lacing his fingers in yours gently. 

"If you want to go home, just say so. We don't have to be here." He said gently, before giving you a quick kiss on the cheek, causing you to blush. He pulled away, looking at you with a concerned expression, to which you smile. 

"Ben, don't worry, though I appreciate it. It's nice to know someone cares about me." 

"I will always care about you darling, you must know that." He said with a smile. You nodded and reached up to kiss his cheek before taking a deep breath and unlacing his fingers from yours, to which you mentally protested with yourself. 

"Ready?" You said, looking at him as he nodded, starting to walk towards the front of the cafe. 

As you both walked through the entrance, you were hit with the familiar scent of coffee, chocolate and the aroma that just seemed to belong in a coffee shop. You smiled to yourself as you breathed it in, instantly feeling more comfortable before spotting your friends tucked away in a small booth to the side. You tapped Ben on the shoulder to grab his attention. 

"They're over there, do you want anything?" 

"Nah, I'm good, do you want me to get the glasses whilst you go set up?" 

"Nope, it's okay. Mindy's behind the counter today so I'll just ask her, do you wanna go set up stuff for us?" Ben nods and flashes you a smirk and a wink before heading over to the table where they all greet him with hugs and clapped hands, and you smile as you walk over to the counter. 

Mindy smiles brightly when she sees you and beckons you over to the side, giving you a hug over the counter and gushing about how much she missed you when you weren't on shift a couple of days ago. You smiled and explained why you had to take a bit of time off, and she looked sympathetic as you apologised. Mindy was a nurse who worked in the same hospital as you full-time but picked up shifts at the coffee shops somedays for a bit extra on the side, as she had told you, so she knew your struggle having gone through something similar herself. 

"Hey Mindy, would it be alright if I just grabbed two glasses?" 

"Yeah, sure!" She said brightly as she handed two of them to you from underneath the counter with a bright smile. You thanked her and said goodbye, waving as you walked away from the counter and towards the booth where your friends were. 

"She hath emerged from her room!" Poe exclaimed as you just rolled your eyes at him playfully whilst sitting down in the seat that Ben had left for you on the outside of the booth, subconsciously snuggling up against his side as you handed him his glass and put your bag on your lap, pulling out the 1.5L (which got a set of no reactions from your friends, they were used to you consuming soda by the litre by now), your snacks and your laptop, books and pens. Setting it all up so you didn't have to reach far to get anything, you cracked open the bottle of soda and poured a good amount into your glass and then into Ben's, the both of you clinking them together before opening up your laptop, Ben's already loaded beside you and him looking absurdly cute with his glasses on the end of his nose and his hair ruffled. 

You felt a nudge on your knee below the table and looked below it to find Ben's hand there, open and waiting. Trying your best not to smile and blush, you took his hand and squeezed it slightly, feeling a rush of warmth flow through your body at the knowledge that you could finally do this, even if nobody could see it. That was actually the best part. This was for you both and you both only. 

Unfortunately, you needed both hands to type, which was very sad, and so you pulled away from him but not before shooting him a quick message. 

**Y/N (5:10 PM): I wish I could hold your hand all day, but unfortunately I have to work :( x**

You closed the messaging app down before remembering what you had put on the end of the message. Holy shit you had put a kiss on the end! What if he got freaked out? Neither of you had done that yet to each other, you had only just recently changed each other's contacts and even that felt new and weird to look at, but in a good way. 

Your internal freak-out was cut short when you received a notification several seconds later. 

**Ben (5:11 PM): That is such an unfortunate fact darling :( x**

**Y/N (5:12 PM): Yes, it is. Netflix and cuddle later? x**

**Ben (5:13 PM): Do you even have to ask? :) x**

You smiled at your phone and caught his eye as you just shook your head as you placed your phone down and opened up the word document that had your unfinished paper looming at you. Rey caught the expression on your face and called you out on it. 

"Y/N, what's got you smiling like you're in love?" She teased with a smile and a glint in your eye, and you nearly jumped at her choice of words, managing to restrain yourself at the last second. 

"Err, what do you mean?" You said, proud of yourself for not stuttering through your question but sure that your face was on fire. 

"You're smiling like you're in love with somebody and I want the details, my friend." 

"Well, actually," you said as you tried to think of an excuse, a very random name coming to mind but hoping it was enough to throw her off your scent. 

"It's this guy named Kylo I met on Tinder, a really nice guy, really sweet. Boyfriend material, ya know?" She squealed at your statement and you had to suppress the urge to laugh as she shot out of her side of the booth and over to yours, barreling into your (thus pushing you into Ben) as she hugged you tightly. When she finally pulled away, she was panting. 

"You okay there Rey?" 

"I'M SO HAPPY FOR YOU Y/N, MY BESTIE IS FINALLY GOING TO BE WITH SOMEONE!"

"Rey, I have been with people before my gal." 

"Yeah, I know, but you haven't dated anybody since sophomore year of college, so this is a pretty big deal to me." 

She hugged you again, and also squeezed the life out of your before pulling back (still beaming) and moving back to her original seat. 

"May I please return to writing the paper that is going to be the death of me?" You asked her, smiling as she nodded her head with a smile before returning to look at her computer screen. 

"Kylo? What sort of a name is that?" Poe said with a scoff as he took a sip of his coffee and you just rolled your eyes at him. "Don't judge people by their name Poe, you've never even met him." 

"Neither have you." 

"How would you know Dameron? You suddenly keeping track of my whereabouts at all times now?" You fired back with a hint of bitterness underneath your tone, and you felt Ben squeeze your leg, calming you down. 

Suddenly, your phone vibrated on the table with a notification, and you had to hold in a gasp as you read it. 

**Ben (5:16 PM): Kylo huh? x**

**Y/N (5:17 PM): It was the only name I could come up with and somehow it suits you? x**

**Ben (5:17 PM): I'm not complaining, it sounds badass. What's this Kylo's last name? x**

You thought about it for a couple of minutes before replying. 

**Y/N (5:20 PM): Ren. His last name is Ren. x**

**Ben (5:21 PM): Hmm, I like it x**

**Y/N (5:22 PM): Is this going where I think it's going? x**

**Ben (5:22 PM): I don't know babe, is it? ;) x**

You held in a groan as you looked at him, cheeks blushing as he subtly winked at you and poured himself another glass of soda and took a large gulp, and you sat there mesmerized as his throat moved with each motion, and you could feel your cheeks heating up even from such a simple act. God, what was wrong with you? 

You focused back in on your paper, and after a couple of minutes, you managed to write the full paragraph you had been agonizing over for the two hours before you had come out. Maybe you had just needed the change in environment to boost your brain cells. Now you only had the conclusion to write and then you were done. 

About 1 and 1/2 hours passed before you had finally finished the conclusion and polished the paper, and you sat back against the back of the booth with a sigh, rubbing your temples and smiling as you finally finished the paper. You nudged Ben, who came out of his reading trance with a hum, and when he looked at you his face broke into a grin. 

"You finished it?" He asked you excitedly, and all you could do is nod with a smile as he embraced into a tight hug, and your head just dropped into the crook between his neck and shoulder as you nearly cried tears of relief. This paper had taken so much to do and you were so glad you had finally finished it. 

When Ben pulled back, his eyes darted down to glance at your lips and you knew what he was thinking. You grabbed his hand underneath the table and squeezed it, looking around the booth to see if anyone was paying attention (thank fuck that they weren't) and you pulled his head to the side it looked like he was looking at something on your computer whilst you placed a light kiss on his cheek just below his ear, before allowing him to pull back. 

His ears were tinged pink and so were his cheeks, and he smiled at you as you turned your attention back to your laptop, saving the file with a flourish, ready to be sent off to Maz. You took a sip of your drink and nearly choked on it when you heard what Finn said next, 

"You're looking a little flushed there, Ben. You alright, man?" You repressed a smile into your glass and focused your eyes on the screen, desperately trying to not look at Ben's reaction to Finn's question. 

"Yeah, I'm fine, just a little warm. They probably turned the heating up too high in here, that's all." You pulled out your phone again and shot him another message. 

**Y/N (6:57 PM): Great save babe ;) x**

**Ben (6:58 PM): Yes it was x**

**Y/N (6:59 PM): Are you okay with what I did though? I'm sorry I didn't ask permission :( x**

**Ben (7:01 PM): Darling, it's fine, why would I mind? x**

You nudged his shoulder and made a gesture that meant 'touché' before shutting off your phone and sending the document through to Maz, finally able to open up your assignment calendar and check off the final paper, which meant everything was due for winter break, which started at the end of the week. 

You pulled out your phone again. 

**Y/N (7:06 PM): Hey, you know how you and I visit your mom and dad every year? x**

**Ben (7:08 PM): Yeah, we're still going this year don't worry x**

**Y/N (7:09 PM): It wasn't whether we were going what I was worried about x**

**Ben (7:10 PM): What's wrong? Do you not want to go this year? x**

**Y/N (7:11 PM): No I do! I'm just worried about how we'll keep... us a secret x**

**Ben (7:12 PM): Ah, right x**

**Ben (7:12 PM): It'll be fine babe, don't worry, we'll figure it out as we go along, I'm just glad to have you here with me and when we get there x**

**Y/N (7:13 PM): Do I ever tell you how much I love you? x**

**Ben (7:14 PM): No I think I need a reminder when we get home ;) x**

**Ben (7:14 PM): I didn't mean it like that, shit I'm sorry x**

**Y/N (7:15 PM): I was assuming you meant lots of cuddles, kisses and 'I love you's x**

**Ben (7:15 PM): Fuck I love you so much x**

**Y/N (7:16 PM): I love you too x**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long I know but I wanted to get this done without splitting it into two parts.  
> Next chapter will be the winter break or at least part of it, so look forward to that.  
> As always, don't forget to leave kudos, comments and also to bookmark, I'm updating regularly :)


	16. Holidays

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are again! Back at it with another chapter!  
> I'm so glad people are liking this fic, the feedback I have gotten from it is nothing but positive :)  
> Most of the things in this chapter were recommended to me by my good friend thomascresswell, so thank you for that! (Idk how to tag profiles or people but when I figure it out I'll update this)  
> Enjoy lovelies! <3

"Poe, you've been awfully quiet today, and unusually not sarcastic, what's up?" You say as you stand by the door of the apartment with Ben, everything packed and ready. It was 5 pm and your flight was at 8 pm, so you needed to get going soon but you and Ben were picking up dinner on the way there. 

"I'm fine L/N, I guess I'm just gonna miss you that's all." 

"Awww Poe," you said with a smile as you walked across to him and brought him into a tight hug, bumping Rey by accident who was standing beside him. The rest of the group had come to 'wave' you and Ben off, even though you had been doing this since junior year of college. Still, it was a tradition, so they felt the need. 

"Now," Rey said, turning into the full mama-hen mode and looking at you with stern eyes. 

"Do you have everything packed?" 

"Yeah."

"Extra towels?"

"Yeah, 7 extra ones."

"At least 10 outfits?"

"I have a lot more than 10 but yes."

"Bathing suit?"

"Hold on, why would I need a bathing suit?" You said to her with a confused tone, before looking back at Ben and cocking your head. He answered for you. 

"Remember the hot tub my parents have?" He said, waving his hands to try and prompt you and you made a noise of understanding as you turned back to Rey. "I do not have a bathing suit but I will buy one there, is that all mother?" 

"Yes that's all my dear," she said as you both laughed and gave each a quick hug, and you and Ben hugged the rest of the group, exchanging 'goodbyes' and 'stay safe' before heading out the door with your luggage and carry-ons. 

"So what did you bring in your carry-on this time?" You ask him as you decide to take the elevator due to your suitcases. As it starts to move, Ben finishes typing on his phone and places it in his pocket before turning to you to answer your question. 

"My med books, a notebook and my laptop, you?" 

"My laptop, headphones, notebook, textbooks, the usual really. You excited about seeing your mom?" He nodded as you got out of the elevator and headed to the Uber that was waiting for you, putting your luggage in the trunk before sliding into the back seat with Ben next to you. 

As the car started to move, you pulled out your phone. 

**Y/N (5:06 PM): Shame we're in different rooms this year x**

**Ben (5:07 PM): We were in different rooms last year? And the year before that? x**

**Y/N (5:07 PM): Last year my feelings for you hadn't been admitted and we hadn't made out a bunch of times ;) x**

**Ben (5:08 PM): Ahhh, I get what you mean. Yeah, it is a shame but it'd look too risky if we asked to share a room wouldn't it? x**

**Y/N (5:09 PM): Yeah, unfortunately, it would be. Doesn't mean you can't come and visit though :) x**

**Ben (5:10 PM): I definitely will :) x**

**Ben (5:11 PM): You thought about what dress you want for my mom's gala yet? x**

**Y/N (5:12 PM): Not yet, but I was thinking either a dark blue, a purple or like a dark red? x**

**Y/N (5:12 PM): But I don't know whether those colours would suit me, so like idk x**

**Ben (5:13 PM): You look stunning in anything, so whatever you choose to wear will look amazing x**

A couple of minutes later the driver announced that you had arrived at the airport and so you thanked him as you got your luggage and started walking towards the airport. 

"Wait, Ben, I've just realised something," you said with a smile as you looked at him, shifting your suitcase handle from your right to your left hand. 

"What?" He said, waves of his raven hair falling over his face messily, making him look adorable (as if he didn't already). 

"Nobody is here that we know, we can do whatever we want until we get to your mom's house." 

"You mean like... actually be a couple? And do couple-y public things, like holding hands and stuff? Are you okay with that?" 

To answer his question, you grabbed his hand and squeezed it, interlacing your fingers as you walked through the airport and towards security. 

"Well, we have 45 minutes until our flight, you want food?" Ben asked as he looked around the space where there were many shops, cafes and food bars open. You nodded and smiled at him as you both walked over to a table that was high off the ground, placing you carry-ons down on the floor and pulling out your phone so you could order the food. 

"What food do you want Ben?" 

"Well, there's a McDonalds right there and it looks empty so you wanna get stuff from there?" 

"Yeah sure," you said as you opened up the app on your phone and started a new order thread. "What do you want? Your usual or something different?" 

"Well I was thinking we get 20 nuggets to share and then just large fries and like a soda or a shake? Coffee will make me all jittery." 

"Yeah that's fine I actually was thinking of getting nuggets as well," you placed the order and paid for it and the screen flashed with your order number. You showed it to Ben and he motioned that he was going to go and get it. 

"Shouldn't I do it? I have the order on my phone so it'll be easier." 

"Yeah true. I'll stay here with the bags," he kissed you on your cheek as you bid him goodbye, walking over to the McDonald's outlet and seeing that your order wouldn't be called for another couple of minutes, you decided to scroll through Tumblr. 

You were halfway through writing a post about needing some more study tips before your order number was called, and you flashed them a smile and a 'thank you' as you took the bags and the drinks and made your way back over to the table where Ben was, not being surprised as you saw that he had his glasses on again and was reading a book. You debated on whether to wait a couple of minutes since he looked so absorbed, but decided that you didn't have time and so tapped him on the shoulder, holding up the bag of food as he smiled and took it from you. 

You both ate and talked about random things, how classes felt to both of you, and what the galas were going to be like before the flight attendant announced that you could now board the plane. You walked with Ben through the tunnel that led to the plane and took your seats, immediately placing your phone on aeroplane mode so that it wouldn't disturb anybody. 

You pushed your glasses up your nose and took out your laptop, turning down the sound and turning off the Wi-Fi so that it wouldn't receive any notifications. You decided to start making notes for the classes in the next semester which were focusing on neurology for the first couple of weeks, and starting typing notes and flashcards from your online textbook whilst Ben read his textbook beside you. As the captain began to make his announcement, you smiled at Ben and took his hand, a gesture which felt so easy and comfortable and natural. 

As the plane began to take off you squeezed Ben's hand a little tighter. You always hated the taking off part of flying and the feeling it gave you, so you shut your eyes tightly and gripped the other armrest with your hand tightly until Ben placed a light kiss on your cheek, making you open your eyes and look at him. 

"We're off the ground now, I'm so proud of you baby," he said softly, giving you a quick peck on the lips before smiling at you. You grinned back and turned your attention back to your laptop, ready for the short flight. 

As the captain made his landing speech, you shut your laptop and pulled your headphones out, disconnecting them from your laptop and placing them in your lap whilst your grabbed your bag and put your books and laptop inside. You nudged Ben, who hummed a question at you, and you told him that you were about to land. He nodded his head and grabbed his bag from the overhead, sitting back down and placing his book and went to take off his glasses before you gently grabbed his arm with a sheepish smile. 

"Does wearing your glasses all the time hurt your eyes?" 

"No, they said I should but I mainly forget to wear them apart from when I'm working, why?" 

"I, err... I really like how they look on you, they make you look hot, not that you didn't look hot already it's just that-"

"Babe, babe, breathe. If you want me to keep the glasses on, I'll keep them on, no big deal," he said with a smile and a chuckle which melted your heart a little more and you smiled back at him, bringing him in for a kiss before you stood up so you could exit the plane. 

As you walked through the airport after grabbing your luggage, you grabbed a soda and bag of candy before heading out to the front of the airport, where it was currently 9:45 pm and dark. 

"God, I'm so glad that they don't have a time difference between New York and Boston, I hate dealing with jet lag," you said as you drew your coat tighter around your body whilst Ben ordered for an Uber to come and pick you up. He turned to you and brought you in for a tight hug, causing you to squeal lightly in surprise whilst a chuckle vibrated throughout his chest. 

"You looked cold," he said, the words reverberating from his body to yours and his body temperature warming you up even through your jacket. 

"I was, until this," you smiled into his chest and looked to the side as an Uber pulled up to the curb and you both made a dash for it, placing your luggage in the trunk before getting into the back seat and telling the driver the address. 

Leia lived on the Upper East Side of New York. She was a Senator, and a damn good one at that, and so had decided to make the most of her life and make herself comfortable, or so she said. As the cab pulled up to the building (read here: mansion, it was a literal mansion), you couldn't help but admire how beautiful it was. You both thanked the driver and slid out of the car, grabbing your bags out of the trunk and then standing on the curb looking at the house as the cab left. 

"Even though I have been here 6 times, it never ceases to amaze me you know," you said in awe as you walked up the steps leading to the front door. You turned to Ben before ringing the doorbell, as he suddenly gripped your waist and pulled you closer to him and into a deep kiss, which you returned quickly. 

"What was that for?" You said as you pulled away from his lips, smiling. 

"I'm just so happy to have you here with me, you know?" You nodded at him as you rang the doorbell, brushing down your coat and hair before the door opened, revealing a very excited Leia. 

"Y/N! Oh my darling it is so good to see you!" She exclaimed as she pulled you into a tight hug, the both of you laughing as you embraced each other tightly before she turned to Ben, bringing him in for a tight hug as well, which was a tad difficult since he was much taller than she was but she still managed. He smiled at you over her shoulder, and you reciprocated, feeling warm and fuzzy even though the temperature had dropped profusely. 

"Sorry we're so late mom," Ben apologised as she shook her head at him and placed a kiss on his forehead. "Nonsense Ben, it's fine, now the both of you come inside so you don't catch a cold." She ushered you inside, and the butler, known as C.Threepio, came along with a smile to take your bags. 

"Master Ben and Miss Y/N, it is so good to see you again," he said with a warm smile and brought you both in for a hug before pulling back to take a hold of your bags, but before he could turn up the stairs Leia stopped him and turned to you both. Han came out from what looked like the living room and gave you both a smile, bringing you in for a hug and clapping Ben on the back before retreating upstairs to 'work on the companies' finances, as Leia said. Han owned a motorcar company and entered the cars in lots of races, which required a lot of paperwork apparently. 

"Now, there's a bit of a change-up this year," she said brightly and a feeling of worry, as well as excitement, started to form in your stomach as she told you both to close your eyes. 

"Hello there," a deep voice said in front of you (from what you could guess) and you opened your eyes and gasped. "Luke?" You said, and he nodded with a bright smile, bringing you in for a hug as something beneath you nearly knocked you off your feet, Ben rushing forward to steady you. You looked down and saw an adorable husky staring up at you. "R2? Awww it's been so long buddy!" You exclaimed as you knelt down and cuddled the dog as everyone laughed lightly, Ben crouching down beside you so he could pet R2 as well. 

"So, what's the change up Leia?" You said, looking up at her and resuming to stroke R2. 

"Well, since Luke is here, another room has been taken up, so there's only one room left, I'm afraid," your heart dropped through to your stomach as you exchanged a look with Ben, hoping the worry would show through your features. It clearly did, as he nodded his head and smiled at you, mouthing 'It will be okay' at you. 

"So, what does that mean exactly?" 

"You and Ben will be sleeping in the same room together, I hope that's okay?" She said with what looked like a sympathetic look, and you nodded at her, smiling. 

"Of course that's okay, don't worry Leia," you said with a bright smile and she smiled back at you, whispering to Threepio where to put your bags and saying that he would show you to your room.

"I'm sure you both are exhausted, but you can do anything you like, and I'll see you tomorrow darlings!"

You gave R2 one last stroke and said your goodbyes to everyone before making your way up the stairs behind Threepio. Once you made it to your room, he excused himself with a 'goodnight' and a smile before you and Ben walked into the room, smiling at how beautiful it was. It had an ensuite which was amazing, and the room was spacious, fitted with a desk large enough to fit 3 people. Everything was great... until you looked at the bed. 

"Erm... Ben?" You called out, and he turned to you, putting his phone away before following your line of sight and saying the one thing that came to mind. 

"Oh, shit," 

"Yeah, what are we gonna do?" 

There was a slight problem. There were two of you. 

And only 1 bed. 

"It's fine, we've slept in the same before and it's been fine," he said, running his hand through his hair and chuckling as though trying to relieve the tension. You walked over to him and looped your arms around his neck, looking up at him. 

"Hey, it'll be okay, it'll be fine." 

He nodded and smiled at you, and you gave him a quick kiss before speaking again. 

"And you know what this means right?" 

"More cuddling?" 

"More cuddling indeed, get ready Solo." 

"Oh, I'm ready. Bring it babe." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [R2](https://t2.ea.ltmcdn.com/en/images/5/1/4/types_and_breeds_of_husky_dogs_1415_orig.jpg)


	17. Mornings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo, another update! I have a lot of time on my hands which is good news for you lot because it means regular-ish updates  
> Enjoy lovelies <3

You made your way down to the kitchen, seeing Leia on the way past her room and popping your head in. 

"Hiya," you said with a smile, and she beamed at you and waved. "Hello dear, anything I can do for you?"

"Ah no it's fine, I was just going down to the kitchen to get a couple of snacks and that for me and Ben, we're just going to study for a bit."

"Oh, you two and your studying! You should take a break you know." You laughed at her comment lightly, knowing full well it was true but unattainable for a student such as yourself. 

"If only that were possible Leia if only that were possible. Anyway, I best get back to Ben, he'll be wondering where I've gone," she nodded and waved goodbye at you as you smiled and walked down the stairs, saying hello to Threepio and walking to the large kitchen. You grabbed a bag of Lays chips (which you were shocked to find in the house but you imagine Leia had gone shopping before you arrived), a bag of sour gummy worms and a couple of cans of Coca-Cola. 

"Hey, I'm back," you said as you walked into the room, Ben turning around from the desk to face you and chuckling when he saw the balancing act you were carrying out. He came over to help you and shut the door as he took a couple of the cans out of your hands, sparks rushing up your spine as your fingers brushed together. Your books and laptops were already spread out across the desk and you dropped into the chair opposite Ben with a sigh, smiling at him. 

"Hey," he said with a soft smile, his glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose and his hair mussed in an adorable way. 

"Hey." 

"You feeling okay?" 

You nodded and pulled your glasses off your face to rub your nose and the back of your ears, trying to relieve the tension. You replaced your glasses and grabbed a can of coke, cracking it open and taking a long sip whilst looking at your screen, turning your WiFi back on and connecting immediately to the internet. In front of you, you could hear Ben opening a packet, whether it was the chips or the candy you didn't know, and you looked at him to find him crunching down on chips. He placed the packet down and pushed it towards you, which you accepted with a smile. 

2 hours had passed and it was just past midnight when you yawned and looked at Ben, who reciprocated the gesture. "You tired?" 

"Do I look tired Y/N?"

"...I don't know how you want me to answer that in all honesty."

"Touché," he said with a smirk and he came over to your side of the desk, leaning down above you and pulling you into a soft kiss, which you quickly reciprocated with a lazy smile. When he pulled away you stood up, closing your laptop and pulling the charger out, making sure to leave it on the desk for in the morning. You went into the bathroom, where you had already unpacked and threw your hair into a ponytail, washing your face free of makeup and dirt and grime from the plane and brushing your teeth. 

When you came back, Ben was still reading, though he had shut his laptop and plugged it in for the night, and you told him that the bathroom was free if he needed to use it. He thanked you and disappeared into the bathroom, shutting the door over but not fully and you busied yourself with making sure you hadn't lost your page in any of the books you had been using. You got into bed, deciding to scroll through your social media until Ben came out of the bathroom. 

Halfway through a post on Facebook, you heard the bathroom door close and footsteps come closer to the bed. "Time for bed darling."

You looked up at Ben with a smile, shaking your head and patting the space next to you, liking the post and locking your phone and placing it on the bedside table next to you. He smiled at you, taking off his glasses and putting them on the bedside table on his side, sliding into the space next to you. You both had worn sleep clothes to bed (a t-shirt and shorts) and you were thankful for Ben's extra warmth since it was colder now that you were in December. 

"Goodnight darling,"

"Goodnight honey," you said with a chuckle as he reached over to turn the side-lamp out on his side, casting the room into darkness. Within seconds, you were speaking again. 

"Ben?" You whispered, feeling your cheeks grow warm.

"Yeah?" He rolled over so he was facing you and you could just about make out the outline of his face in the dark. 

"Can we cuddle?" 

"Do you even have to ask me?" He chuckled lowly and you felt warm hands grabbing your sides, bringing you closer to him and you suppressed a squeal and a laugh. You turned around so that your back was to his front, and he wrapped an arm around your torso, caging you in technically but making you feel warm and safe. 

"You okay?" He murmured into your ear, and you nodded, tilting you head up to catch his lips in one final kiss before being lulled to sleep by the steady rhythm of his heartbeat and breathing. 

"Y/N? Ben?" Leia's voice came in through the door, cheery and loud as you both bolted upright, startled awake from a deep sleep. She called both of your names again as well as knocked as you looked at each before Ben pointed to you and you rolled your eyes, clearing your throat before calling out to her. 

"Yeah we're up Leia don't worry."

"Well that's good darling, breakfast is ready downstairs for whenever you're ready, Luke is down there already and so is Han," you heard her retreating footsteps away from the door and you both burst out laughing once she had gone. 

"Oh my fuck that was close," you said, wiping your eyes and gasping for breath, still smiling as Ben placed a hand on his stomach. 

"Way too close, imagine if she had come in! Imagine if my mother, _my mother,_ had seen us like this!" You laughed again at the panic in his eyes along with amusement and brought him in for a kiss, which quickly grew passionate and deep. Your hands were around his neck and his hands were on your hips before you pulled away, gasping for a completely different reason. 

"I love you, but I also love food," he nodded as he fell back into the bed, reaching for the covers before you stopped him with a stern look, trying your best not to laugh before failing. 

"Right, okay," you said as you swung your legs over the side of the bed, wiping your eyes again and smiling, "We actually have to get up, otherwise your mom will kill us." 

"That is too true," he said as he swung himself out of bed with a groan, stretching and nearly stumbling over from lack of balance, causing you to start chuckling again as he caught himself. 

"Right, I'm gonna shower, you need to use the bathroom?" You asked him as you opened the closet, pulling out a black sweater with a cowl neck and a pair of black jeans, as well as clean underwear before turning to him. 

"Yeah, let me just brush my teeth and that and then you can use it. Are we going down together or?" 

"It's up to you honestly babe, you could go and have a catch-up with your mom and dad and then I can just catch you up?"

"Are you sure?" 

"Yeah if that's what you wanna do, I know you haven't seen them in a while either so it might be nice, but it's whatever you want to do," he smiles at you as he brings you in for another soft kiss, the clothes still in your hands but his hands on your cheeks, tilting your head up so he can capture your lips softly. He pulls away and gives you one last peck before retreating into the bathroom. You grabbed your glasses from the nightstand and put them on, causing everything to come into clearer focus and grabbed your phone as well, scrolling through the notifications, seeing that you had messages from Poe, Finn, Rose, Rey and your parent, as well as several social media notifications. Oh well, those could be left for later. You scrolled through the messages, tapping on the one from your mom first. 

**Mom (12:45 AM): Hey sweetie, I know it's late and that you're probably asleep but I was just checking in to make sure you're okay and that you had a safe flight to Leia's house, I texted her just to check in and she said you guys were okay. Give Ben a hug from me, love you lots xx**

You chuckled as you read the message. Your mother _loved_ Ben and had remarked on several occasions (both when and when he wasn't in the room) that he was perfect for you, causing both of you to blush profusely if he was there, exchanging awkward glances. You typed a quick message back. 

**Y/N (9:08 AM): Hey mom, sorry I was really tired yesterday and I fell asleep around 12:30 AM? So I didn't get your message until now. Yes, I'm okay and so is Ben, the flight was fine, though I still hate the taking off bit. Are you and Dad okay? Will give Ben a hug don't worry lol love you lots too xx**

You tapped onto the next message which was from your dad. 

**Dad (1:30 AM): Hey honey, I just got home from a shift at the hospital, so I'm sorry I'm texting so late, you're probably asleep. I hope you had a safe flight and that everything is okay at the Organa-Solo's house. Remind Han to give me a call. Love you lots xx**

Your dad was actually an ER doctor and he had been the one to inspire you to go on your medical journey. You both had a lot in common, your humour, your work ethic and even your sense of style, though you doubted you would ever catch him wearing high-heeled boots. You quickly text him back, saying that you hoped he was okay and that you would remind Han, and then looked at the group chat where all of your friends had messaged you and Ben. 

** Los Amigos **

**Rey (8:30 PM): You are not gonna get this until you land but I hope you guys are okay and that the flight goes okay.**

**Finn (8:31 PM): Yeah, in regards to what Rey said I hope you both are okay.**

**Poe (9:30 PM): Do you think they're alright?**

**Rey (9:32 PM): @Poe babe don't panic, you know what Ben and Y/N are like with their Do Not Disturb, they probably haven't turned their phones off of airplane mode yet.**

**Rose (9:35 PM): Rey has a point. I'm sure they're fine :)**

You chuckled as you read through the messages. Rey had hit the nail on the head with the Do Not Disturb, you had it on nearly all the time as notifications tended to annoy you. You felt the bed dip and Ben's head come to rest on your shoulder. 

"How worried are they babe?" 

"Not very, they know what we're like and let's be honest they probably would have tracked our flight, they knew the flight number." 

"Yeah true, it's good that we have friends like that though," Ben said as he grabbed a pair of jeans and a dark grey t-shirt as well as some other garments before retreating back into the bathroom, yelling a "Tell them that I'm okay too" from behind the closed door. You yelled back an "Okay!" before typing a message back. 

**Y/N @ Los Amigos (9:14 AM): Guys we're fine, Rey was correct, guilty of the charges of having Do Not Disturb on, oops, me and Ben are okay, thank you guys though :)**

You exited out of the Messages app, deciding to check your social media later, and started to make a to-do list for everything. 

-Buy a bikini 

-Finish starter notes for next semester 

-Buy a dress for the gala 

-Buy shoes for the gala 

-Look at makeup and hair for the gala 

-Use the hot tub at least once 

Yes, the last one was way off-topic compared to the others but it was a necessity whilst you were here. You heard Ben come out of the bathroom and you turned around to face him, whistling at him when you saw his appearance. 

"Solo you looking mighty fine there," you said as he blushed a little, and he came over to sit beside you. 

"What you doing?" 

"Making a to-do list, by the way, I need a bikini, remind me," you said as you pecked him on the lips before gathering your clothes and making your way over to the bathroom, stopping before going inside and turning to Ben. 

"Are you going downstairs?" 

"Yeah, why?" 

"Oh no, I was just asking, make sure to tell Leia that I'm in the shower and not just upstairs, I'll be as quick as I can," 

"Okay babe, love you," he said softly as he made his way out of the room, shutting the door softly with a click. 

You had been in and out of the shower in record time and you were now just finishing your makeup, having decided to have put your hair in a braid that Leia had shown you how to do and you had gone for neutral makeup. You grabbed your phone, placing it in your pocket before making your way to the kitchen. 

"Ohhh Benjaminnnnn," you sang as you walked into the kitchen, causing Leia, Han and Luke to break out into laughter. As you walked over to the breakfast bar, you felt something big run past your legs. You turned around, only to find Chewie looking up at you expectantly. 

"Hi, Chewie! Have you been a good boy for your mom and dad?" You said to him, giving him a good rub on the head as he barked and panted up at you, before going to lay down underneath Ben's feet beneath the breakfast bar. You took a seat next to Ben, taking his hand and squeezing it reassuringly underneath the table. 

You see, Ben had quite a rocky relationship with his family. He was an only child, and quite a studious one, so he was quite isolated throughout his childhood and adolescence, kids not wanting to make friends with him and Ben being focused on his future.

When he was younger he worked on cars with Han, though he had told you once that as he got older he felt more isolated by his father and he didn't understand why, and because he had never confronted him about it, they had grown apart.

Leia was a senator, and whilst that may seem like a fancy job, it came with a LOT of pressure. She was constantly being called away on business trips that lasted many weeks or months at a time, and there had even been a trip that had lasted a year once for an abroad trip. Needless to say, Ben didn't see her much. 

His relationship with his uncle was rocky as well. He never saw him much growing up, and therefore had never had the chance to build a proper relationship with him. He claimed that when he did see his uncle he was overly harsh on him, but that he had changed in the recent years, having had more contact with his nephew, which Ben welcomed but was also wary of. 

So, from you could tell, he was quite nervous that they were all here, and so you tried to reassure him without words. He turned to you and gave you a small smile, a smile which you knew meant 'thank you'. 

"Wow, Leia, this food looks amazing!" You exclaimed as she put a plate down in front of you, laden high with chips, bacon, sausages, eggs, beans and a few pieces of toast. You quickly dug in, answering many questions that were thrown at you with tact until Leia asked the one question you were dreading which came up every year, 

"So, Y/N, do you have a boyfriend?" 

You were currently chewing on a piece of toast when she asked you and you swallowed so hard you started coughing, prompting Ben to thump you on the back so you could breathe as you took a large gulp from the glass of coke that was sitting next to your plate. When you had swallowed and regained the ability to breathe, you answered her. 

"Nope, just focusing on my studies, you know me, always studying..." You could feel tension (which didn't exist) begin to tinge the air, and you steered the conversation away to another topic. 

"So Leia, how is the prep for the gala coming along?"

"Oh my dear, you have no idea the amount of stress. Do you know what the caterers did?" 

"What did they do?" 

"They charged me for 6 courses instead of 4, I had to call the manager and the company in order to reset the finances. It was horrendous!"

"Oh I'm so sorry to hear that Leia, that sounds awful," you say as you take the last sip from your glass before it is empty, mimicking your plate. Just as you were about to move, Leia's phone rang, and she looked at it and cursed under her breath. 

"I'm so sorry dears but it's the catering company, do you mind?" You and Ben both shook your head and soon you were left alone in the kitchen, both Han and Luke had already retired to their rooms. You turned to face Ben. 

"So, hitting the shops? Or doing something else?" 

"I say hit the shops, I need new clothes anyway." 

"No, you need to stop being so tall and muscular. This is your own doing." 

"Are you complaining about me being tall and muscular?" He said lowly, and you felt a shiver run down your spine as you looked into his eyes, shaking your head with a smirk. 

"Since when would I ever be complaining?" 

"Exactly. Anyway, hit the shops? I'll ask Threepio to bring the car around?" 

"I keep forgetting you have one car at home and one car here, that's mad." 

"To be fair, I don't use it that often, and I like the one better at home." You chuckled and shook your head at him, pecking his lips quickly before drawing away. 

"Right, you ask for the car to be brought around, I'll go get my bag, ready?" 

"3,2,1, let's go, babe." 

Yep, you were in love with a dork. And you were so, so, so happy. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reader's sweater](https://www.us.purecollection.com/images/toccato-ribbed-cowl-neck-sweater-black-p2735-2257_image.jpg)   
>  [ The room, but just imagine there's a big desk next to the fireplace](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/12/37/20/1237202ec90f81d073b9ef42fa2b8525.jpg)   
>  [Bathroom](https://luxurybathrooms.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/4-17.jpg)   
>  [Kitchen](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/cf/4e/a5/cf4ea5fec3427efb19e0a5ac20a0f515.jpg)


	18. The One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not updating for a while guys I was in major work mode and so was getting a load of stuff done for my new courses which start in September. Hope y'all like this update.   
> Enjoy lovelies <3

"So what colours were you thinking of Miss?" The assistant asked you, her name was Nicola, as she led you to the second floor of the store along with Ben. You looked around and saw that she had led you to a private fitting and dressing room, and your eyes widened slightly at the number of dresses you could choose from. You looked at Ben with wide eyes, and he just smiled and gestured to the room. You looked at the assistant, who was smiling warmly. 

"Well, I was thinking, maybe a dark red? Or perhaps purple or dark blue? I have a lot of different ideas you see."

"Well that's perfectly fine Miss, shall we take a thorough look and try them all on? That's, really, the only way you'll find your perfect dress." 

"Yes, that sounds lovely, I do have a question though." 

"Of course Miss, what is it?"

"Since this looks to be a private room, though correct me if I'm wrong, would it be suitable if Ben and I left for a while for lunch and then returned here?"

"Yes, of course Miss, that is perfectly fine, I'll go and have a look at some dresses and have them brought up, I'll just be a moment," she said brightly before leaving the room and leaving you and Ben alone. He smiled brightly at you and placed his hands on your hips and pulling you flush against him, causing you to gasp a little and smile. 

"What do you think?" He murmured and you reached up to kiss him and stroke his hair behind his ears whilst you spoke. 

"It's beautiful here Ben, like truly gorgeous." 

"Well, they don't have a thing on you. You're more gorgeous than anything here darling." You blush profusely at his statement and hide your face in his broad chest, unable to stop smiling as his fingers card through your hair softly. "I love you Y/N,"

"I love you too Ben," you say softly as you look up at him, smiling and so so happy. 

The opening of the door, signalling that the attendant was back, causing the two of you to step apart slightly. Ben had told you that this was a shop his mother frequented and that everyone here knew her well and personally. Therefore, you two were trying to be sneaky so as to not alert anyone to your relationship. 

"Okay so, I got some different styles," Nicola said as she opened the door allowing many people to bring many racks of dresses in. Had she brought the whole store supply up here?

"Thank you, Nicola, that's amazing," 

"It's my pleasure, Miss,"

"Please, call me Y/N, 'miss' sounds much too formal," you say with a small laugh and she chuckles along with you, drawing the curtains back from another part of the room revealing a large stage-sort of thing. She walked across the room quickly and gracefully and opened up a door, revealing a dressing room where you could try things on in private. 

"Which rack would you like to have a look at first?" She said brightly, and the rack containing red and black dresses seemed very appealing to you. You said this to her and she brought it to the front of the racks, and a red and black lace ballgown caught your eye. Nicola took it off the rack and held it up so you could see it better. 

It was strapless, with off-the-shoulder small puff sleeves that connected to the bodice. It was a ballgown style dress, and it was beautiful. 

"Can I try this on?" You asked, before taking the dress to the dressing room and closing the door. Before you had the chance to get into the dress, you heard a knock on the door. You opened it to find Nicola there with a pair of black heels. "To go with your dress, for the real deal," she said with a smile before closing the door. 

You undressed down to your underwear and slipped the dress on over your head, managing to zip it up with little difficult before slipping the heels onto your feet. You knocked on the door, signalling you were ready to come out. When Nicola gave the all-clear, you came out of the dressing room boldly, feeling like a million dollars in this dress. The price was probably close to that as well. 

Ben's mouth dropped open when he saw you and you had to raise your hand to cover your mouth to stop yourself from chuckling at his reaction. 

"I take it I look okay then?" 

"You want me to lie and say you look okay? You look fucking gorgeous," he says with wide eyes, drinking in all of you. You smoothed down the dress and stepped up onto the platform in the middle of the room so you could take a better look at yourself in the large mirrors. 

"Okay, I like it, but I think I need to try on a couple more dresses first." 

"Any particular colour Y/N?" Nicola said and you reeled off a couple as she brought the racks in front of you. 

The next dress you tried on was a dark blue and black ombre-style dress that was sleek and had one strap that crossed over your chest. When you had tried it on with black heels, both Nicola and Ben remarked that it looked stunning, but you still felt that it wasn't 'your' dress. 

You went through dresses of all different styles and colours, some of them were ballgowns, some of them were sleek, some of them short and some of them with trains like a wedding dress. But eventually, when it was just nearing 2 pm and you and Ben had come back from lunch about an hour before, you found the perfect dress. 

It was a silver ball gown with off the shoulder sleeves, flaring widely at the bottom and embroidered intricately. When you slipped it on, it fitted around your body perfectly, and it felt so right. Nicola had given you some black matte heels that provided a beautiful stark contrast to how light the dress was, and when you stepped out and onto the pedestal, everyone in the room gasped. 

You looked stunning. The dress complimented your figure everywhere and made you look like an angel in silver. The heels provided an extra bit of height that made you feel more confident, and the ensemble was amazing overall. 

"Okay, can everyone just step outside for 2 minutes?" Ben called out in a shaky voice and everyone immediately took their leave, the door clicking softly shut behind them as they all exited. As soon as the last attendant had left the room, Ben rushed over to where you were standing (at the perfect match for height) and kissed you roughly, grabbing you by the hips but making sure not to rip the dress. 

" _Ben,_ " you gasp out in a whisper as his lips move across your jaw and down to the sweet spot beneath your ear and beginning to suck a mark into it before you pull him away by his hair gently so you can look at him, the both of you trying to pant quietly whilst fulfilling the need for oxygen. 

"What brought that on?"

"Have you _seen_ how you look in this dress? I'm surprised I was able to hold out until the people left the room." 

"What do you mean?"

"Y/N, you look fucking stunning and dare I even say it, delectable, without sounding sleazy. You look gorgeous as hell in this and normally and I don't know how I'm going to be able to keep it together at the gala and-"

You cut him off by bringing your lips together again, tongues exploring each other's mouths and groaning softly into each other's lips. You have to pull away again once the need for oxygen became too demanding, and you smile at him. 

"So I'm taking it, we're getting this dress?"

"Yes, I will buy it for you, and no, you cannot stop me, please let me Y/N?"

"How expensive is it?" You say whilst looking at the tag that is hanging out from the top of the bodice and gasping when you see the number of zeroes on the end of the numbers. 

"Ben, this is way too expensive!" 

"I don't care. Do you like the dress?"

"Yes, I love it. It's gorgeous."

"Do you want the dress?" 

"Well, of course I would but-"

"Then it's settled," he says as his hands move their way down your body to grasp yours tightly as he smiles lovingly at you, bringing you in for a softer kiss before continuing. 

"I want to do this for you Y/N, please let me?" You think about it as you look at him and sigh with a smile, nodding your head as he beams and kisses you one, two, three times again before calling out for the other attendants and Nicola to come back in. 

"Are you finished, sir?" Nicola asks Ben as he looks at you. You smile and you nod, going back to the dressing room so you can hang up the dress and pack up the shoes. When you exit the dressing room in normal attire and with the shoes and dress in hand, you hand them to Nicola, who smiles at you and walks away to have them wrapped up and sent to the house as Ben gives them the address and card number that he will be paying from. When he is finished, he makes sure to look around and see that no one is looking before capturing your lips in a soft kiss once again, causing you to giggle. 

"You know what's next Ben?"

"What darling?"

"I get to see you in a tux, and I _can't fucking wait_." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Red and black lace ballgown](https://www.dhresource.com/0x0/f2/albu/g8/M00/0C/87/rBVaV102p2eASSH9AAMnlWpTMj8997.jpg)   
> [Black heels](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51NFhoTBuUL._AC_UY500_.jpg)   
> [Blue and Black Ombre-Style Dress](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/a8/64/45/a86445d5d4e3cddc4071c1275f73723c.jpg)   
> [Silver ball gown](https://i.pinimg.com/564x/e0/ae/a7/e0aea7cec9e56ecdaa0d6052925af519.jpg)  
> [Black matte heels](https://marcotozzi.com/on/demandware.static/-/Sites-tamaris-master-catalog/default/dw6be8229b/product-images/dw_002-19-22441-34-098_04.jpg)


	19. The Suit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY GUYS! I've just been really unmotivated lately and I'm so sorry :( I hope you guys enjoy this chapter though <3

"So now that we have my dress, what are we doing about your suit?" You said coyly as you walked down the street with Ben, hand in hand with you leaning on his shoulder, well more like his arm considering how tall he was. 

"Well, I was thinking it could match your dress maybe?" He says whilst turning his head to you, bringing you in for a quick kiss and smiling. You nodded, thinking about what he had looked like last year. 

'He looked fucking hot' you thought to yourself and felt a flush of heat roll down your spine, causing you to restrain the blush you felt burning your cheeks. 

"Well it doesn't have to, maybe we could go with classic black tie?" You say to him, and he tilts his head in contemplation, before nodding. "Okay, I know this really good suit place that believe it or not, my dad introduced me too. Wanna go there now?" He says to you and you nod at him, smiling and kissing his lips again before chuckling, unable to keep the amount of happiness that you were feeling inside you. 

"So were you looking for sir?" An elderly attendant says to you and Ben before leading forward into the depths of the shop, where all you could see were variants in every single colour of ties, waistcoats, suit jackets and even more. You were sure you could even spy a wall of top hats in the back of the shop. 

"Well, I was wondering if you had any grey or black suits available for a person of my height? Unfortunately due to the fact that I am 6"3 I have to get them tailored but as I've been here before I have every faith that there is something here for me?" 

"Well, of course, sir," the attendant says before leaning up to whisper something in Ben's ear, to which Ben turns and smiles at the man. "Why yes that would be delightful, my kind sir," he says, before you and Ben are led up a staircase leading up from the first floor to the second, where there are many closed doors, at each of which is a man in what looks to be a very expensive suit. 

"What's going on?" You whispered to Ben, and he just looked at you and smiled,

"Wait and see," he whispered back and kissed you once, twice before looking back at the man, who had just unlocked one of the doors and opened it, revealing what seemed to be a dressing room. 

"Here you are sir, I will have someone come and measure you shortly," the man said before leaving you two alone in the fitting room, where you looked at Ben. He had on a navy blue button-down which he had rolled up to his elbows and black jeans with boots, and he looked hot as hell. 

“What’s up?” He whispered to you, coming behind you and wrapping his arms around your waist, effectively enveloping you in his embrace. You shivered at having him so close, and you turned around, snaking your arms up until your hands were tangled in his hair and pulling him down into a deep kiss. 

You both began to pant heavily as the kiss escalated into a makeout, you and Ben walking backwards until your back hit a wall, causing you to groan into his mouth and bite his bottom lip, making him utter a similar choice of noise in response. 

" _Fuck Ben!"_ You gasped out as he bit your bottom lip. 

Ben’s hands found their way to your hips and stayed there, squeezing slightly as if he was terrified to let you go until you were interrupted by a knock on the door. 

The sudden intruding noise caused both of you to gasp, though this time not due to each other. You both looked at one another and smiled, laughing slightly before turning to the mirrors, making sure that you didn’t look like you had just been making out with Ben a couple of minutes beforehand. 

Ben called out for them to enter, giving them the all-clear, and you gasped once more at the sight of many,  _ many  _ suits being wheeled into the room on racks. There were suits of every colour design, along with matching ties, waistcoats, belts and even top hats, canes and gloves. 

“Sir, here are a selection of our finest suits, tailored to someone of your stature from what we could tell. I have brought along a tailor, who is fine to measure you if you would prefer?” 

Ben nods and smiles at them, and the tailor comes forward with a smile and leads him through into a smaller room, allowing you to look at the suits. When Ben and the tailor come back out, the tailor goes over to the attendants and points to around 4 of the many racks of suits, and the rest are wheeled out into the corridor. 

“Okay, sir so it seems we have our selection, would you like to look at them first or do you have a specific preference?” 

“I’d like to look at them with my girlfriend here if you don’t mind,” your heart flutters at his choice of wording and you suppress the urge to kiss him again. Despite having being together for nearly 2 months, you still hadn’t got used to the fact that Ben was your  _ boyfriend _ . It still astounded you. 

Ben walks over to where the racks are and picks out a few suits, all of them black before looking at the selection of bow ties and ties that had been provided. He decides to try on the suits first before looking at ties. 

You see him try on suit after suit after suit, with dozens of different combinations and once even with a scarf, top hat and gloves (you had a picture safely in your phone of you two together with him in the ridiculous ensemble), he came out in a black suit complete with a white button-down (similar to one that he had tried on earlier), but for some reason, this looked different? 

Maybe it was the one it hugged his broad back like a second skin, allowing you to see the muscles in his back when he took the jacket off. Maybe it was the slacks and the way they hugged his thighs. 

Maybe it was the fact that your boyfriend was in a suit and you were suddenly feeling incredibly dehydrated. 

“Wow, Ben you look… really, really hot,” you said, and you realised that your voice was a lot more breathless than usual. He smiled at you and chuckled, smirking. The attendant then called him over and asked which tie he would like. He chose a simple black and once he tried it on, he could see that this suit was perfect. 

“Is this the suit you would like then sir?” 

“Yes, if you don’t mind could you have it delivered to my house?” 

“Of course sir,” Ben gives him the address and changes again before coming back out again in his normal clothes and you were already craving to see him a suit again. 

“You okay babe? You’re looking a little flushed,” Ben says with a concerned tone but when you look up he has a smirk on his face and you realise he knows  _ exactly  _ what is wrong with you. 

“Yeah I’m fine don’t worry, you ready to head back to the house?” 

“Where else would I kiss you senseless?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Ben's suit](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/7e/5b/d5/7e5bd50ee18e089c3e1818c757daefb0.jpg)


	20. Kiss You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry guys for not consistently updating! I've just been in a bit of a slump recently, and haven't really had the heart to continue with this WIP, but here's a new chapter and hopefully it will be back on track soon.   
> Please don't forget to leave comments, kudos and don't forget to bookmark!

You both get back to Leia’s house around 7 pm, having decided to go for an early dinner at 5 so that you could get a headstart on work so that you didn’t go to bed super late again. You walked through the door, laughing with him about the class he had last semester when you were tutoring kids below you. 

“Like I swear, I don’t even know how I managed to get through that class. It was difficult as fuck,” he says, smiling at you as he runs a hand through his hair. 

“Because you’re extremely smart Dr. Solo,” you say with a wink until you hear Threepio come towards you. 

“Good evening Master Solo, Mistress L/N,” he says with a smile, and you smile at him warmly. 

“Please, Threepio, call me Y/N, I say this every Christmas,” you chuckle and he laughs with you and nods. 

“Shall I hang your coats up?”

“No it’s fine, Threepio, but thank you,” Ben says with a smile before bending down towards your ear as Threepio retreats to another part of the house. 

“Shall we go upstairs?” He pulls away and you see him waggle his eyebrows, and you laugh and push his chest. 

“Ben!” 

“What?” He laughs as you both go upstairs and enter the room that both of you were staying in. You turned around to shrug off your jacket and didn’t hear Ben come up behind you, grabbing your waist and kissing your neck slowly and sensually. 

“Ben, what are you doing?” You ask him, closing your eyes and leaning your head back onto his shoulder. 

“I should think that would be obvious darling,” he said with a chuckle, and you smiled, turning around so you could face him, his lips instantly capturing yours. 

“We have to work,” you say into his lips with a chuckle, 

“I know, I just want to kiss you,” he says with a smile, kissing you deeply as if he was pouring every emotion he had for you into the kiss. 

You kiss back needily, snaking your arms up around his neck as his hands fell to your hips, gripping them tightly, but not tight enough to bruise. When you both pulled back for air, you were panting. 

“I love doing that with you,” you say with a smile, brushing a piece of hair out of his eyes and cupping his cheek. 

“I love doing that with you too,” he chuckles, turning his head so that he can lay small kisses over your hand, making shivers go up your spine. 

“We don’t have to work  _ right now _ , right?” you whisper to him as he looks at you, his eyes bright with a twinkle of mischief behind them. 

“No, we do not.” He murmurs softly back, wrapping his arms around your waist and laying you down to kiss you softly, him laying sort-of next to you. You kiss back with enthusiasm, wrapping your arms around his shoulders. 

“Start work at 8?” You whisper to him and he nods, pulling his phone out and setting an alarm before tossing it on the bed, kissing you again. You return the gesture softly, revelling in the feeling of being with him. 

\---------

“So, do we have any tests set?” You ask him, pushing your glasses up your nose and taking a sip of your coke, staring at the screen of your laptop. Ben nods, also pushing his glasses up (he looked so hot with glasses,  _ especially  _ with glasses) types a couple of things into his laptop before you hear the printer buzzing on the other side of the room. Ben gets up to go and retrieve what he printed, handing you something on the way back. 

“That’s a calendar for the next 6 months until June of every test we have, but if we get any more we can write them in. I also have one for assignments like papers and labs and stuff which I’ll print out now, and then our interning schedule,”

“You are a fucking gem and I love you,” you say with a smile, taking another sip of your coke and grabbing another pizza slice from the box on the bed. You and Ben had gotten hungry again, since you had dinner pretty early, so you had decided to order pizza in for the both of you. 

“I love you too, and thank you,” he says with a laugh, grabbing something from the printer again and handing it to you. You grab your folder from your bag and slip the pages in at the front along with your syllabus and course details. You prided yourself on being organised. 

“What time is it?” You ask, reading through an email that Maz had sent to all the students for the work she wanted them to do over winter break. 

“11 pm, you wanna go to sleep so we can get up early?” He asks with a smile, and you nod. “Let me just finish reading this email, did you read it?” 

“No, do you mind telling me what it says?” 

“Well, it’s from Maz telling us what she wants us to do over winter break. She says she wants us to catch up on any missed readings if we have any, and start reading ahead for the next semester. She also sent a couple of packets over with info regarding next semester and stuff.” 

“Okay, I’ll read them tomorrow. Thanks baby,” he says whilst getting up and stretching, kissing your cheek on the way to the bathroom to start getting ready for bed. 

“No problem babe,” you say back to him, closing out of the window and shutting your laptop. You could read the packets tomorrow. You just wanted to sleep and cuddle with Ben. 

You strip down and decide to put on a loose t-shirt and shorts, putting your hair in a braid to prevent it from matting whilst you were asleep. You grab your phone and decide to scroll through Pinterest to try and find new inspiration for your bullet journal, suddenly remembering something. 

“Babe!”

“Yeah?” He says, coming out of the bathroom with his toothbrush in his mouth. 

“We need to go shopping tomorrow,” you say with a smile, looking at him. He cocks his head, confused. 

“Whyyyy?” He says, drawing it out to show his confusion. 

“Because I need a new bullet journal and a new bikini. We forgot to pick them up today, I’m sorry,” he smiles at you and shakes his head, holding up a finger to mimic the phrase ‘one minute’ before disappearing back into the bathroom, before coming out again after a few moments, the toothbrush gone. 

“It’s okay, I don’t mind going out to get them tomorrow,” he says, sitting down on the bed with you and pulling you into his side, kissing your head. You smile and kiss him softly before standing up. “I’m gonna get ready for bed, I’ll only be a few minutes,” 

You walk into the bathroom and wash your face and brush your teeth, not realising how exhausted you were before pulling away from your laptop. 

You walk back out, swaying with tiredness and you hear Ben chuckle a little. You look up and find him already in bed, reading a book. “Come here baby,” he says, patting the space next to him and you practically fall into the bed, so close already to falling asleep. He puts his book down gently along with his glasses, turning off the lamp before rolling over to face you. 

“I love you,” he says genuinely into the dark, and you smile, giving him a soft kiss. “I love you too,” you whisper, sighing happily as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you into his chest, allowing you to snuggle into it. 

“You’re so perfect,” he whispers in your ear, and you blush at his wording. “And gorgeous, and so beautiful, and smart,” you look up at him, tears threatening to brim. 

“Ben you’re gonna make me cry if you keep complimenting me,” 

“But it’s all true, and I want you to know that,” he whispers softly to you, capturing your lips in a gentle kiss before kissing your forehead and squeezing you softly. 

“All those apply to you too,” you say into his chest sleepily, feeling yourself start to drift off. “Goodnight babe,” you say softly. 

“Goodnight baby,” you hear him say, and that’s the last thing you hear before you drift off into a blissful state of sleep. 


	21. With Him

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry y'all for the long ass wait, I promise I'm still doing this WIP just motivation has been very low for me at the moment, it usually is during July and August so I apologise. I am trying to keep on top of it my lovelies <3

You wake up with a groan, eyes fluttering open slowly and adjusting to the darkness that still surrounded you. You rolled over carefully and grabbed your phone, thankful you had turned the brightness down the night before. 

7:21 AM 

You groan again quietly at the time and roll back over to face Ben whose eyes were open, who must have woken up due to all your moving about. “Good morning beautiful.”

You chuckle and smile at him, placing a small kiss on his lips. “Good morning baby.” He smiles and pulls you closer, your phone falling out of your hand and into the space between the both of you, nestled safely in a cocoon of covers. 

You nestle into each other, cuddling and savouring the darkness in the room, how the morning wasn’t here yet, how you didn’t have to start your day for at least another 30 minutes. 

His hand slithers in yours and interlocks your fingers gently, squeezing slightly before just resting there comfortably. You loved being like this with him, where nothing else really mattered apart from just being with him, just existing. 

“When is your mom’s gala?” You ask softly, your free hand coming up as he moved into your chest and combing through his hair, kissing his forehead softly before resuming your soothing motions. 

“In two days, on Christmas Eve,” Ben whispers back and you smile. You remembered the Christmas present you had bought him back in Boston but then also remembered another present you had bought here in New York. You had ordered it online and set for it to be delivered under your name to the house, so Ben wouldn’t realise and Leia or Han or Threepio wouldn’t get suspicious. 

“And I take it your mother will be going mad with preparations like she does every year?” You ask softly and he chuckles, nodding his head. 

“Yep, as she always is. Though this year I get to call you ‘my date’,” he whispers the last part lowly and you chuckle as you blush, laying your head on his shoulder and kissing his cheek. 

“Yes, indeed you do. Only in secret though. We’re not telling anyone yet, remember?” He nods, turning to kiss your jaw gently and you kiss his head, smiling in the dark. 

“You looked fucking stunning in the dress,” he whispers suddenly and you blush even more even though he can’t see, burying your head in his neck as he chuckles at your reaction, moving his head to kiss the top of yours. 

“Thank you baby,” you whisper next to his ear, stroking his hand with your thumb in soothing circles, cuddling him and spooning him basically in the position you were in. 

“You looked sexy as fuck in that suit,” you whisper back to him and he chuckles, squeezing your hand. 

“Thank you. We should probably get up in a minute, my mother will already be up no doubt,” Ben says and you nod, closing your eyes, savouring the last few moments of unperturbed bliss with him, right here in this bed. A few minutes pass before you open your eyes, grabbing your phone and placing it beside you. 

“Okay, ready?” You whisper and he nods, moving away from you slowly and getting out of bed, standing up and stretching, the sound of his cracking bones rippling through the air. You do the same, getting out of bed and stretching whilst yawning before flicking the light on and moving to the bathroom to relieve yourself and brush your teeth. 

You come out a few minutes later, slightly more awake but still in a sleepy state as you look at Ben, who’s already dressed and is sitting at the desk reading through his textbook, making notes as he does so. You come round the back of him sneakily and rest your head on his shoulder, whispering to him. 

“You really need to take a break babe.” 

He chuckles at your comment and looks up at you, and at that moment you honestly think that it should be illegal for someone to look  _ that  _ hot whilst wearing glasses and with bedhead still, despite you knowing that he’s probably already tried to brush it through to no avail. 

“I know but I need to finish the readings.” He says whilst looking at you and you shake your head with a smile, kissing him softly and slowly, standing up as he does the same as his hands land on your waist and squeeze gently. 

“I love you,” he says against your lips. 

“I love you too,” you say with a smile, your arms coming up to rest around his neck as you pull away, looking at him. 

“Right, so the plan for today is…?” You ask, smiling at him, well aware that you’re still in your sleep shirt and shorts but not really bothered. 

“You said you needed a new bikini? I kinda wanna try out the hot tub tonight, if you wanted to.” 

You nod and place another kiss on his lips before drawing away fully, walking to the closet and pulling out a dark blue cotton shirt with long sleeves and some black skinny jeans as well as some knee-high boots before pulling out a pair of fresh panties and socks and a bra from your drawers and walking into the bathroom, closing the door and getting dressed, brushing your hair and walking back out, boots not yet on your feet as you sit down by Ben, opening up your laptop again. 

“Have we got any assignments due for when we get back?” You ask him, logging into your laptop and clicking on your Safari tab, opening up a few shopping websites and scrolling through them. He nods his head and turns his laptop towards you, where a full calendar is pulled up from December to March. 

“We have a paper due on the third day we’re back,” he says and you quickly bring up your own calendar, jotting it in and quickly working out a work schedule before clicking back onto your webpage. You look through various sites like Nordstrom and Topshop and Victoria Secret before finally landing on one that you absolutely loved. You show Ben and his eyes widen slightly, looking at you. 

You smirk slightly before picking up your phone and getting the product code ready, calling the nearest store and asking them if they could put the piece you wanted behind the desk and that you would be there to pick it up today, most likely in the next two hours. The woman on the phone said that it had been done and you both said goodbye in cheery tones, hanging up and placing your phone down on the desk, looking at Ben with a smile. 

“Swimpiece is ready to pick up,” you say with a smile and sigh happily, replaying Ben’s reaction over and over in your head again, smiling widely as you remembered it in full detail. He reached over and grabbed your thighs, pulling you into his lap and wrapping his arms around your waist as he brought you into a rough kiss, the both of you panting almost immediately as the kiss turned quickly into a makeout. 

Your arms travelled up his chest and looped around his neck, hands entangling in his hair and pulling slightly causing him to groan into your mouth, making you do it again. The motion elicits the same reaction from him and you feel a spark of heat rush through your body at the sound. 

Eventually, you both pull away, lips wet and swollen red from the kiss, cheeks flush and eyes wide. Your hands are around his neck and his hands are on your waist, looking at you. 

“Breakfast?” He asks in between panting breaths, brushing a piece of hair from out of your face and tucking it behind your ear, making you blush even more at the sweet gesture. You nod and kiss him again, softer this time, pressing your body close to his for a couple of seconds before pulling away again, climbing off his lap and standing up fully with a smile. 

“Breakfast.” 

========

You walk downstairs with Ben, both of you on your phones as you find your way to the kitchen, sitting down and grabbing some food from the breakfast bar. Ben piled his plate up with pancakes, eggs and bacon with syrup whereas you grabbed some waffles, bacon, syrup and some hashbrowns on the side, sitting down next to him and immediately digging in, scrolling through Tumblr aimlessly and liking posts and photos. 

You both talked about anything and everything that came to mind whilst you ate, falling into a routine that you had been in for years. It was weird, you thought that being in a relationship would possibly change your whole dynamic (I mean, how couldn’t it when you were kissing what was your best friend and now boyfriend on the daily?) but in reality, it had actually strengthened it and now you two were practically inseparable. 

You both finish your food and you grab your purse and your wallet, slinging it onto your shoulder and heading out of the door with him and a smile. You decide to take a cab to the shop and cuddle on the way there, your hands entwined and his arm around your shoulders, your head leaning on his shoulder. 

=========

“And that will be $34.10,” the attendant says cheerfully and you pull out your card, tapping it on the scanner and smiling at her as she handed you your bag with a smile and a cheery “Enjoy!”. You walked to Ben who was waiting over by the side for you, having already bought his stuff before you. You hold up the bag and he smiles at you, kissing your head before taking your hand as you walk out of the store. The time was 1 pm, still a little early to head back so you guys decide to walk to a nearby Pizza Hut and grab the buffet. 

“So, hot tub when we get back?” You ask as you both sit down full plates, digging into garlic and cheese breadsticks and slices of pepperoni and cheese pizza. He nods, taking a sip of his soda before pulling out his phone. You catch a glimpse of his phone screen and smile, scooting closer to him and looking at it. 

“Ben…” 

“Yes…?” 

“Show me your home screen,” you ask with a smile and he blushes, showing you his phone. It was a picture you two had taken just after Halloween, the both of you smiling widely for the camera just after going through the haunted house. It was one of your favourite memories from the occasion, and you smiled as you remembered it. 

You shyly grabbed your phone and clicked it on, showing him your home screen with a blush. Yours was a picture of the both of you studying that Poe had taken one night last year. You and Ben both were concentrating incredibly hard, and the both of you were in the lounge, looking over books and notes and caught mid-type as you typed frantically on your laptop. It was a photo that inspired you to keep going and to not lose motivation, knowing that at the end of this you were going to be rewarded with something incredible. 

“Is that from last year? When we had that massive study-thon?” Ben asks with a smile and you nod, clicking your phone off with a smile and placing it on the table, bringing your plate closer to you so you could next to him. Ben brought you in for another soft, quick kiss before clicking his phone off and placing it on the table. 

You both continue to eat, laughing and talking together and taking turns to go and fill up the plates and glasses of soda. You take silly and stupid pictures together on Snapchat and add them to a shared album between the two of you, adding in all the photos you had taken together between the two of you. 

Eventually, you both leave, paying and leaving a large tip for the waiter who had been so kind to both of you before taking a cab back to Leia’s house, wondering how you had spent 3 hours somewhere. 

‘ _ Oh well,’  _ you thought, looking at Ben with a smile as he grinned back at you and kissed your cheek gently. 

_ At least I’m with him.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Follow my Tumblr](https://commanderbensolo.tumblr.com)
> 
> As always, feel free to leave comments, kudos and to bookmark <3

**Author's Note:**

> I know this is such a long chapter but I said we were in it for the long haul so here ya go! I hope y'all like it. :)


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